Kicking and Screaming
by Shayni May
Summary: Theron doesn't want to be a Warden, too bad Duncan doesn't give a damn. Updates every Friday! (Mostly)
1. Constrained and Coerced

Theron stood bored stiff, in a tree, high above the ground keeping watch. He and Tamlen had been brawling again and Marethari wasn't happy. Though Tamlen had gotten caught and refused to give up names, Marethari knew. Theron and Tamlen were always together on everything. Thus, they were both punished to keep watch until Marethari deemed otherwise. He was about to get down and find his other banished partner, when he heard the snapping of twigs and crunching of leaves, making their way towards him.

"Long way to go for one recruit, Duncan." A dirty blonde man said. Theron looked down from his hiding spot and at the humans that were slowly making their way through the thick underbrush.

"The Dalish are talented warriors and excellent rouges. Having one of them among us would be a great help." Duncan replied. The elf crept along the branches, following them. These two men were looking for them? And they were closer to camp than he was comfortable with.

He quickly jumped to the next tree, quiet as a mouse and drew his bow. "No, I understand." The first man said "It's just that-"

Theron jumped down from the canopies and aimed his arrows at the two humans.

"-I don't think they'll be too friendly towards us…" the man finished as he raised his hands in a white flag gesture.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded

Duncan took a step forward. "We're here to speak with your Keeper."

Theron raised an eyebrow. Most humans didn't know the Dalish truly existed, but these two were asking for Marethari? "You'll forgive me if I'm rude, but I can't let that happen." he replied

"We won't cause any trouble, we're just here to talk." The blonde one said

"I'm suppose to take your word on this?" Theron snipped

The blonde one chuckled, "You want a guarantee? I don't think-"

"Roland," Duncan interrupted "now is not the time. We're Grey Wardens, the Dalish have an obligation to help us, during a Blight."

"You've proof of this, I hope?" Theron asked

Both men looked at each other and shifted uneasily.

"Lethallin!" Tamlen swiftly glided up next to him, with his bow drawn. "_What's going on?_" he asked in elvish.

"_These two claim to be Grey Wardens, though they have no proof, they want to meet with Marethari." _He replied

"_Marethari? Why?" _He asked

"_They say there's a Blight coming, and we're bound to help them…" _

"_That makes sense, the humans can't handle their own problems, so they come running to us." _

He chuckled then turned back towards the humans. "Well?" he said, switching back to English "What should we do with them?"

"I guess lying that they were Grey Wardens wouldn't get them too far… If they have legitimate business, Marethari would want to meet with them." Tamlen replied "Besides, we're more than capable of handling two armed guests."

"I suppose you're right," Theron said as they put their bows away. "besides, we're in enough trouble as it is." He smiled at then looked back at the humans "Come on, camp is this way."

Tamlen and Theron led the two humans to camp and introduced them to Marethari. The moment The Keeper learned who they were she commanded the two elves away. "Hmph, I guess they really were Wardens then." Tamlen commented

"Or just really good liars?" Theron jested

Tamlen laughed "If they're good enough to trick Marethari, then we need to take lessons!"

Theron and Tamlen made their way over to the campfire. It was after dusk and Paivel was about to begin a story before they retired to bed. The two boys plopped down next to Merrill. She lit up at the sight of her two friends. "Where have you two been! I haven't seen you all day!" She exclaimed and hugged them both.

Theron laughed and leaned back against a tree. "Guard duty, we were brawling again. We're assigned to it for the next week, actually."

Merrill rolled her eyes "When will you two learn to stop fighting?" She sighed

"When we're dead!" They both said in unison

Paivel gathered everyone's attention and began the tale of The Dread Wolf. Merrill cuddled into Tamlen's side, and the elf went red. Theron smile mischievously and made suggestive gesture at his friend while Merrill wasn't looking. Tamlen rolled his eyes and punched Theron's arm and they shared a laugh.

Theron and his friends sat quietly listening to the story. It had been one they heard many times, but it was still as amazing as the day they first heard it. There was some way about how Paivel told it that always brought the story to life. Merrill tapped Theron's shoulder, granting her his attention.

"Why does that man have a squirrel on his chin?" She asked

Theron and Tamlen looked at each other completely baffled. The rouge looked back at Merrill, "What?" He asked, barely containing his laugh. Merrill pointed and his eyes followed her finger. He found himself looking at Duncan, he and Roland had joined the campfire. Theron smirk, "It's not a squirrel, it's… some human thing, they call it a…" Theron couldn't think of the word

"A bee? Beer? Beard?" Tamlen guessed "Beard! That's what it was!"

"There you go! It's like hair that grows on your face."

Merrill looked taken aback "On your face? How strange…"

"Well, you have to remember the human get cold easily in winter, the beard helps warm their head!" Tamlen teased

They laughed together and Paivel finished his story. Before everyone was dismissed however, Marethari stood up and addressed everybody. "My children," she began "we have been blessed to meet the two Grey Wardens, Duncan and Roland. Know that they will be staying here for a few days, and that you are to treat them no differently then you treat each other. Duncan, do you have anything to say?"

Duncan stood up, "There's a Blight coming and we need all the help we can get. We'll only be here a few days before we must return south."

A few of the younger kids began to bombard the Wardens in questions. Tamlen touched Theron's arm. "Come on, we have watch in the morning." He said and the three of them got up and went to bed.

Theron had no idea why the ancient elves had named the humans "Quick Children" in elvish. Tamlen and Theron had caught up to three shems in a matter of seconds when they ran passed them. The idiots had heard rumors of a cave filled with treasures and decided to come check it out. Alone and unarmed. Theron had no idea shems could be _that _dumb.

"Where is this cave?" Tamlen demanded

"Just off to the west!" One of the humans said quickly "You can't miss it!"

"_Well, what do you want to do with them?" _Tamlen asked, switching to elvish

"_Just let them go, we're in enough trouble and if Marethari finds out we killed some idiot shems, she'll be pissed." _Theron replied

"_I suppose you're right. Oh, who am I kidding? When are you ever wrong?_" Tamlen teased "Get out of here shems, don't let us catch you around here again, or you might not leave with your lives. Understand?"

All three of the humans nodded then turned to run. "Thank you! Thank you!" one of them called back.

Theron shook his head "As long as I live, I will never understand humans."

"You and me both. Should we go find this cave? These carving make me curious." Tamlen admitted

Theron smiled "Of course! And if we find anything interesting, the Keeper will want to know!"

"My thoughts exactly! C'mon, they said just off to the west."

Finding the ruins was easier than either of them expected, despite both of them basically growing up in the forest and having explored it many times over, they had never found this particular cave. But they wasted no time heading in, and mapping it out. There were a few giant spiders hanging around, but they were easily killed.

The truly interesting thing that they found was a mirror. It was taller than both of them put together, and extremely clean.

"Damn, would you look at _that_!" Tamlen exclaimed "What do you think the writing says?"

"'Do not touch the glass?'" Theron guessed

"Hah, not that'd we'd leave a finger print on it. See how clean it is- Whoa, did you see that!"

Theron looked back at the mirror, "See what?" he asked

"Look! There it was again!" This time Theron saw it, it was no more than a purple circle that slowly danced away into non-existence. "Here, I just need to take a closer look…"

Theron grabbed Tamlen's arm "Wait, we don't know what it is. We should get the Keeper before we do anything with it."

"But we need to make sure it's something the Keeper can waste her time with! Or else we'll get in trouble again."

As much as Theron hated it, he was right. They couldn't just waste her time.

They both stepped up to the mirror and watched it. More purple circles skirted around inside. "It's a city!"

Theron looked at his best friend "Since _when _is a purple circle a city, Tamlen?"

Tamlen looked at him confused. "You don't see it?" Theron shook his head, Tamlen reached out and touch the mirror, and Theron followed with his eyes. "It's showing me a city… Underground? But there's a darkness consuming it… Creators! It saw me!"

"What saw you-" Theron looked back at his friend, "Tamlen! You're bleeding!" That was putting it lightly, blood was pouring out of his eyes like bloody tears.

"Help! I can't look away!" Tamlen pleaded

Theron reached out, ripped Tamlen's hand away from the mirror, and forced Tamlen to look at him. Tamlen's eyes were black and still spilling with blood. Theron's fingers were burning at the touch, suddenly Theron was thrown backwards and was flipped onto the floor. He staggered back to his feet and looked back to the mirror. "Tamlen!" he screamed "Get away from it!" He started back towards his friend, before he was thrust back to wall. He looked back up one more time, and watched what looked like black blood swirl around his friend, then his vision blurred, and he passed out.

"…Hello…?" Theron heard in the darkness. "Can you hear me?"Theron opened his eyes, and looked at the two Warden's who were crouching over him in a blur.

"Duncan, it's the Blight." Roland said

"I know." Duncan replied "Theron, can you hear me? I-I'm so sorry…"

Theron's mind began to slip back into unconsciousness, but he stopped it. _No, _he thought _don't you dare pass out again, Tamlen needs help! _He groaned, and tried to roll over onto his stomach so he could use his arms to stand.

Duncan stopped him, "You're sick, we need to get you back to your clan, you shouldn't move just yet-"

As if on a cue, Theron vomited up blood. He forced himself to roll over, with no objections from the Wardens, then push himself onto his hands and knees. He vomited again, and the ground became colored with blood. Theron stared at it. _Blood isn't that dark…is it? _he thought, and ran the tips of his fingers through it, and examined them. _No… _he thought _Blood definitely isn't that dark. _

Suddenly Theron realized he wasn't in the cave anymore, and that Tamlen wasn't by his side. He shot to his feet, and his head throbbed in disagreement.

"Whoa, slow down there!" Roland said, and caught him before he smacked back to the ground, "Just calm down, we'll get you back to your clan!"

Theron jerked his head no, "Where's Tamlen!" he demanded

The Warden's looked at each other with quizzical expressions. Theron shook Roland off and stumbled back towards the cave. Duncan grabbed his arm and stopped him, "You're too sick, we have to get you treatment, or you'll die."

"Doesn't-" He burped up more blood "Doesn't matter," he said, wiping his mouth "Tamlen's still in there, and _he _touched it!"

"Touched what?" Roland questioned

"The mirror!" Theron stated, frustrated "I didn't touch it! He did! He's in a worse condition than I am! And I'll be damned if I let him die!" Theron pried his arm free and started for the cave once again.

This time, Roland reached out and stopped him "Let go of me!" Theron yelled "I don't have time for this! He's in trouble!"

"You are no help to anyone in your condition! You need to. Get. Help." Roland argued

"SOME HELP - EVEN IN THIS 'CONDITION'- IS BETTER THAN NONE, SHEM!" Theron screeched "HE'S MY BEST FRIEND AND I'LL GLADLY GIVE MY LIFE TO SAVE HIS!" Theron pulled his arm free again and darted back into the cave, where he got seven steps in before collapsing to his knees. His head was throbbing and his stomach felt like it had a tornado made of blades swirling around in it. He doubled over and threw up more blood. He involuntary began to cry, "What the hell is going on…?" he mumbled

Duncan put a hand on his shoulder, "It's the Taint." Duncan said softly "You have darkspawn blood coursing through you're veins, it'll-"

Theron didn't hear the last of Duncan's words, he collapsed into his own bloody vomit before passing out again. _Tamlen, please be alright… _He thought before darkness consumed him.

Theron awoke in a cold sweat, he stared up at the canvas of his tent for only a moment before he threw his covers off and headed outside. Luckily, he was dressed in a tunic and pants because he had forgotten to check before heading out.

"Theron! You're awake!" Fenerall ran up to him "How do you feel?"

"Worried." Theron said "Where's Tamlen?" He demanded

Fenerall gave him a pained look, "He's gone… The Warden's said they looked all over the cave for him, and we've been looking for him for two days, ever since those Warden's came back with you, passed out and sick."

"Two days!" Theron almost shouted "I've been here for two days!"

Fenerall nodded "The Warden's are talking to the Keeper right now, she said to send you over if you awoke-"

Theron sped off to the Keeper, his hair messy and uncombed, there was no way he was suppose to ever approach the Keeper dressed as he was. She was the leader of the clan, and repect was implied. But Theron didn't give a damn much about anything right now. When he reached them, he forgot all manners and interrupted whatever they were talking about. "Where's Tamlen!"

Marathari looked at him with pity, "Theron, now is not the time to discuss that-"

"'_Not the time' my ass._" Theron interrupted in elvish, "Where. Is. Tamlen." He demanded again

"He is gone, the mirror you two touched poisoned him- and you. There's no way-" Roland began to explain

"I'm alive! He might be too! We can find him!"

"Because of medical treatment and your own willpower you were able to survive. Tamlen has been alone and unaided for three days now. Trust me when I say: there is nothing left to find." Duncan said

Theron stared at Duncan, wide eyed and mouth open. He snapped his jaw shut, "Wouldn't there at least be a body?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"The darkspawn would have taken it. They are vile creators, and it is best to leave it at that…" Duncan replied.

Theron looked at his boots. _He'd dead…? Creators, I let him die? _He and Tamlen had been best friends since they were little kids. There wasn't a day that went by that they weren't together, getting in trouble. And now they were saying that he was dead? Not only dead, but gone too? There wasn't even a body to return to the soil?

"Theron." Marathari's sweet voice gained his attention, he looked back up at her. "We have also come to a decision that concerns you…"

"We want you to be a Warden." Duncan said bluntly

Theron just stared at Duncan, his body was completely numb. But suddenly his senses snapped back into use. "What?" he demanded

"Theron, this is a great honor." Marathari explained "There is a Blight approaching, the darkspawn are coming faster than we can run. They will overthrow Ferelden if we don't stop them soon. Long ago, the Dalish agreed to aid the Grey Wardens in the case of a Blight-"

Theron shook his head, if these humans thought they were taking him to some far off land to fight a war he wanted nothing to do with, they had another thing coming. "No, I'm not going."

"You're in need of a cure, I'm in need of a recruit. We can help each other-"

"No." Theron interrupted "I am not leaving."

"Theron, please. It is the only way to save you…" Marathari pleaded

Theron looked at her, she was with them? He felt betrayed, abandoned. His own Keeper was agreeing with these '_Grey Wardens'! _"The clan is sending me away." Theron stated, with anger edging his voice, as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall together.

"It breaks my heart to send you away, Theron… But no more than it would to watch you die slowly-" Marathari began

"Everyone dies eventually." Theron interrupted "And right now, I'd prefer sooner than later."

Marathari looked at him with dismay and pity, but it was Duncan who spoke. "Is that your final decision?"

"Yeah," Theron sneered "looks like you'll have to go elsewhere for your _recruit._"

"Ah, then I am sorry I must do this." Duncan said, Theron knit his eyebrows together. "I hereby Conscript you into the Grey Wardens."

"And I witness your conscription Duncan, of the Grey Wardens…"

Theron's jaw landed somewhere on the other side of Thedas. "You can't make me serve against my will!"

Duncan looked him dead in the eye "I will drag you kicking and screaming to Ostagar if I must." He promised

Theron stood his ground, "Bullshit." he replied. But Theron knew that look, pure determination. Getting away from Duncan now was going to be quiet the feat.


	2. Nightmares

"Fuck you, and your _fucking _Wardens!" Theron shouted. His hands and feet were bound, and Theron was slung easily over Duncan's shoulder. "The Darkspawn won't get you, I swear on my **life** I _will kill you!" _Didn't matter how hard he slammed his fist down, Duncan's armor absorbed the impact. The only damage Theron was doing was to himself.

"You know, if you would calm down, this whole trip would be easier." Roland said, clearly annoyed at Theron's constant whining.

Theron looked up at him, "Oh, I'm sorry princess, is my bitching bothering you?" Theron spat

"Yeah, it is actually-"

"Good. I hope it drives you insane, you sadistic heartless asshole."

Roland sighed in frustration. "Really Duncan, out of all the skilled warriors of the Dalish, you picked _him_?"

"You heard the Keeper talking about him, it was her who recommended him." Duncan replied

"She probably said that to get rid of him" Roland muttered

"Fuck you, Princess." Theron said, still struggling against his restraints. His wrists now becoming chafed.

Roland glared at the elf "You know, there are _plenty _of people who would join the Wardens on a _whim!_"

"Then _why _you didn't recruit them is completely beyond my knowledge!"

"That's enough you two." Duncan said

Roland listened obediently, while Theron continued to swear at the commander.

OoOoOo

They all sat around the campfire, Theron's hands and feet now tied together. The elf sat silently -a thing for which Roland was grateful- thinking of all the different ways to kill Duncan. "Are you hungry, Theron?" Duncan asked

Theron glared at the older man, then went back to his thoughts.

Duncan didn't seem to mind, but Roland felt hate build up in his stomach and make its way up his throat. "You could at least answer him, you ass."

Theron looked up to Roland, "Hey, Princess?" Roland watched him "Fuck you." he spat, and flopped down onto his side, in an uncomfortable position.

Roland was about to explode at the elf, all they were trying to do was save him, and he resent -even hated- their help, but Duncan laid a hand on Roland's shoulder and he fell silent.

The ropes had tried their best to tear through his skin, but even his wrists were calloused from many years spent traveling around. Though it had succeeded in drawing some blood, it wasn't anything major to worry about. Theron stared dead ahead, not really focusing on anything, not thinking, his breaths were mechanical, and his stomach was sick. Theron knew Duncan wasn't lying about having the Taint in his blood, but he still wanted to wander in denial for a while longer.

Eventually, he found his way into the embrace of sleep. When he woke up he found himself staring up at the canvas of his tent. His earbrows knitted together in confusion, _what the hell? _he ask himself.

"Thank the Creators!" Theron jerked his head towards the voice. Tamlen was smiling down at him, his lack of sleep showing in his eyes and relief on his face. "Gods Theron, I wasn't sure you were going to wake up. "

"Tamlen…?" Theron asked

Tamlen smirked "Yeah, asswipe, I'm here."

Theron smiled at the other man, and sat up. This was definitely his best friend "What happened?"

"Well, you went batshit crazy after you touched that mirror. The thing was cursed, you'll lucky Marathari-"

"Wait, what?" Theron interrupted "You touched the mirror, not me."

Tamlen's expression dropped, and he stared at Theron with intensity. "Matters not who touched it. What matters is that you did _nothing _to save me. You simply left me to die-"

Theron shook his head "Tamlen, no- I didn't want to! I was dragged-"

"-without so much as a glance back! YOU JUST LEFT! YOU WERE ONLY LOOKING OUT FOR YOURSELF! YOU DIDN'T GIVE TWO SHITS ABOUT ME!"

"You _know _that's NOT true, Tamlen!" Theron argued

"THEN _WHY _DIDN'T YOU SEARCH FOR ME! Huh! Why did you WALK AWAY!"

"I DID ALL I COULD!" Theron screamed and threw himself into a sitting position, actually awake this time. The Wardens stared at him, surprised obvious on their faces. Theron panted a few times, giving them both a look that said say-even-one-word-and-I-will-kill-you, before flopping back to the ground, in silence.

Theron began to cry soundlessly, keeping his breathing even and his head turned away from the light. Tamlen was dead.

And it was all his fault.


	3. Welcome to Ostagar!

Okay- I've gotten some question from, like, the three of you that read this :)

Roland is a Grey Warden, obviously, he's there because I sincerely doubt that the Wardens would let their commander wander around without protection. At first he was going to be Alistair, that's why he has some same features and personality as him. But I decided halfway through to let Theron meet him at Ostagar like in the game.

When Theron's words are italicized, it means he's speaking in Elvish. So that's why people will sometimes look at him funny when he talks like that.

Any more questions, feel free to ask :D I really don't mind, it's good to know that someone is reading this!

OoOoOo

Theron rode in silence on Roland's shoulders, because he learnt all the screaming and abuse wouldn't get him anywhere with these two. The trio arrived in Ostagar, and Roland put the elf on his feet, letting him stand on his own. "Don't want everyone to think you're a prisoner-" Roland began to explain.

"I _am _a prisoner, Princess." Theron immediately spat

Roland cocked an eyebrow at the elf, "But would you like the entire army to know that, because I can continue to carry you, if you wish."

Theron put his hands up-which were still bound-"That's quite alright, I think I can manage." Theron said quickly.

Roland smirked "As you wish."

Theron glared at him. "I can't wait to strike you down, asswipe."

Duncan guided the children -men further down the pass. His patience running thin with Roland and Theron's constant bickering. As they were crossing the bridge that lead to the main encampment, the elf stopped to admire the view.

Duncan and Roland stopped with him. "Have you ever been to Ostagar?" Duncan asked, still trying to reach out to his newest recruit.

Theron nodded, "We've passed through a couple of times, never camped for too long, the Chasind don't like us loitering around." the elf smiled "Hah! Look there!" he called and pointed out to the horizon. Both Warden's gaze follow where Theron had pointed.

Roland squinted in search of what they were looking at, "I don't understand, what are we-" He turned his head back to look at the elf, who was now gone. He and Duncan looked at each other for a moment in disbelief, it had only taken that elf seven seconds to disappear. "I'll go forward, you go back?" Roland asked and Duncan nodded in agreement, as they went opposite ways in search of their now lost elf.

Theron wasn't usually one to get lost, he knew his directions and had a excellent sense for it. But in his haste to escape the Wardens he had actually ran towards the camp. His lungs were already burning, despite the fact he'd only sprinted a quarter mile. He could usually run a mile and a half before his lungs betrayed him.

Something was defiantly wrong.

He ducked behind a wall and caught his breath. "_Son of a bitch_…" he muttered

"Uh.. are you alright?" Someone asked, and Theron's head snapped up to the voice. It came from a human boy with dark hair, that appeared to be a few years younger than Theron- though the elf was terrible at guessing human ages.

"Are you a Grey Warden?" Theron immediately asked

The boy laughed "No, just a member of the king's army."

Theron sighed in relief "Good… Listen, the Grey Wardens are **evil**. They don't give two shits about what's best for you, only for what's best for their 'order'." Theron explained

The boy raised an eyebrow at the elf "I take it you've met them?"

Theron scoffed "Yeah- I've met them. Look- can you cut my wrists free?" He asked, and held his hands out to the boy, putting on his best puppy pout he could muster.

"Uh- I suppose…?" The boy answered, and pulled out his knife "What's your name?"

Theron eyed him with question "Theron Maharial. What's yours?"

"Carver Hawke." The boy replied, and cut the ropes that bound Theron's hands together.

Theron smiled and smiled in relief "Well, Carver, I think you're the first human I've met in a while that's actually a descent person-"

"Theron!" Roland called from the other side of the wall. Theron's eyes snapped wide open and he began to scramble up the wall, to Carver's amazement. "Theron! Where are you!"

The elf turned back to Carver "You didn't see me! And remember: Grey Wardens are EVIL!"

Theron reached the top of the wall and ducked out of sight under the railing, when Roland trotted up to Carver. "You haven't seen an elf about, have you? He's about this tall, his wrists are bound, dark hair with Dalish tattoos."

Carver shook his head "Sorry, mate, I haven't."

Roland pursed his lip in frustration "Well, if you do, alert the Grey Wardens. He's a recruit that's a little reluctant to join…"

"Yeah, okay, if I see him, you'll be the first I tell." Carver replied

Theron peeked over the edge of the wall, to see the two men leaving. He sighed in relief.

"Now what…?" Duncan whispered next to the elf

Theron froze in place, then slowly turned his head to the Warden that had caught him red handed. The elf slowly smiled, like a child who had just been caught taking the last cookie without permission.

Duncan wasn't amused.

OoOoOo

"Alistair, this is Theron. He's our newest recruit." Duncan introduced

Alistair smiled and went to shake Theron's hand "Good to meet you, Theron. Duncan's sent word, you sound like quite the rouge." He said. The elf simply scowled and kept his arms folded. The warrior dropped his hand, "Ah, not the polite type, I see…" He muttered

"He's tried to run away a few times, and we want you to keep an eye on him while you travel together." Roland said

Alistair looked surprised at the elf, he tried to run away from being a Warden?

"Alistair, will you and Theron go and gather who we're missing? Then we'll get prepared for the Joining."

Alistair nodded "C'mon, Theron. It shouldn't take too long, they're both hanging around camp."

The elf just scoffed and started to walk.

Duncan pulled Alistair aside. "Listen Alistair, he's tainted and needs the Joining to live. But he's not exactly excited to join. We took him away from everything he's ever known, and he's scared. He won't open up right away, but give him time. I think you two would make good friends. Until then, just keep an eye on him, and make sure he doesn't leave before we can save him."

Alistair brushed it off with a joke "All right, I get it, don't lose the new recruit." he said

But when he and Duncan went to look at the rouge, he was gone. Again.

"Son of bitch, he's good." Alistair muttered


	4. Bloody and Battered

'Pissed' didn't even _begin _to describe how furious the elf was right now. For being a fifty year old man, Duncan could run, and Theron didn't like that one bit. He knew it was because of the taint- at least he _hoped _it was. How shameful to lose a race to an elderly man.

"Theron, do you understand?" Duncan asked

"Three vials of blood and your damn treaties, _yes, _I understand."

The other three recruits looked at him funny. They were all glad to be there, Duncan to them was a savior or a leader they could look up too. While to Theron, he might as well be The Dread Wolf reborn. "Good. Then get to it." Roland said

Theron scoffed and stomped his way to gate that led to the Wilds. The guard took one look at them, and opened the gate. The three men followed the elf quietly, until Daveth asked near silently "Why does he have such a stick up his ass?"

Alistair grinned at the question "He's Dalish, and _really _doesn't want to be here. The Grey Wardens are kind of evil to him." he whispered back

Theron rolled his eyes, his hearing was superior theirs and he could easily hear them. "_Stupid humans…" _he muttered

Alistair perked up at his voice "Sorry? What did you say?"

"_Nothing to you, idiot." _Theron replied

Alistair knitted his eyebrows together "What language is that?"

Frustrated, Theron sighed "Elvish."

"Ah, just how many languages do you know?"

Theron turned back to the man, clearly annoyed "Four. Now shut up, we have shit to do."

Alistair smirked, for an asshole, he was actually kind of funny.

Theron heard the rustling in the buses long before the men, he glanced over and saw that it was just a pack of wolves. With that, he simply turned back to the path, and kept walking. The Dalish were close with any animal that roamed to wild, and the wolves were no exception. This pact in particular, Theron had spent a lot of time them. Their path often followed quite closely to the Dalish's, and most times they would venture into the Dalish camp and sleep by the fire. Theron liked wolves, they were intelligent, compassionate and understanding, but they were also quick and deadly. In many ways, the Dalish were like the wolves.

A few of the wolves, upon recognizing Theron's familiar sent, had ran to catch up with Dale, as they often did when crossing the country.

"Wolves!" Alistair called out

It wasn't until Theron heard the men drawing their sword that he realized they were, in fact, not Dalish, and they were gearing up to attack. Theron whipped around "Wait! They won't-" he began to explain, but Alistair was all ready to slash down on the female alpha wolf. Theron immediately jumped to get between her and the blade. Being a rouge, Theron didn't wear much armor, and what he did wear was just leather. So when Alistair's blade lashed across his back, it cut through his armor with ease- earning the elf a long gash from the top of his right shoulder down to his left hip.

Theron groaned, and held the wolf tighter, she looked up at him and understood that he protected her, and that he had gotten hurt while doing so. The wolf howled, and the rest of the pack formed a circle around them, teeth bared, and poised to attack the three men.

The men looked around at the beasts, they were sure that they were going to try and kill them, but they also knew there was no way Theron would let them hurt the creatures.

Theron looked up at the scene, and hastily let go of the wolf. He staggered toward the three dumbasses he was traveling with, and spread his arms open towards the wolves, in a gesture that said if-you-want-them-you'll-have-to-go-through-me.

The leader of the pack, the one Theron had saved, stared at the elf with obvious confusion. Theron stared right back at her, his eyes pleading. She stood back up, no longer ready to kill, and backed up, and the rest of her pack followed her lead.

Theron fell to the ground in pain, panting. The alpha female slowly walked towards him, keeping her eye on the three confused men. When she reached the elf, she lick him once on the nose, and he kissed her nose in return. With that, she led her pack back into the thick forest of the Wilds.

"Wha-What the hell is WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!?" Theron yelled, and jerked his head back to look at the three men. "It's like you humans **have** to kill anything that moves!" he staggered up to his feet, his back stinging with the heat of a thousand flames, and blood soaking into his now torn clothes. "Not every other living thing is threatening, you know!?"

The three men just stared at him, unsure of what to say.

"_Out of all the people to get stuck with, I get stranded with these three idiots._" Theron grabbed the bridge of his nose. "_Fucking retards. The whole lot of them…"_

While the two other men found a sudden interest in their boots, Alistair said "Theron, I am so sorry I cut you-"

Theron waved his hand dismally, "I understand that you were trying to protect yourself, but next time make sure there's actually something attacking you first." he said, anger still edging his voice.

Alistair nodded, unable to look at the elf anymore. Theron reached into his belt pouch, and pulled out a bandage roll, handing it to the Warden. Alistair stared at it, "What's this for?" he asked

Theron took off his jacket and undershirt, "You caused it, you're going to patch it up."

"Ah, right…"

The gash was bad, and it would need more attention with better supplies. How the elf hadn't passed out from the pain, was something Alistair didn't understand. Alistair was in full swing when the elf jumped in the way, and had no way to stop it, even though he wanted too. The warrior did his best to clean and wrap it, but he was no healer.

"All done?" Theron asked

"Yeah…" Alistair replied "Theron, I'm sorry-"

"I know, you've said that already." the elf interrupted "Let's just go." His back was burning, and aching and he was sure that he wasn't going to be able to lay on it for a _long _time. He had wanted to lash out at Alistair, wanted to punch him. But that man had a better pout than Merrill- and that was saying something. The elf knew he hadn't meant too, but Theron was still pissed. Theron led, because he didn't trust the humans not to get him lost. He looked up to a tree branch were a crow was sitting- with the most intelligent eyes he had ever seen.

Knowingly, he smiled. That was no bird, it was a witch.


	5. The Elf, The Witch, and The Treaties

How do you read Theron's name? Because I read it Thair-ron but my friend reads it Thee-ron.

Huh.

Anyways…

OoOoOo

They were all covered in blood- Theron mainly in his own. There was no way fighting with a basically open wound on his back with helping it at all. They fought through dozens of Darkspawn to get to the broken down tower where the treaties was held.

Theron wasn't at all surprised when the treaties were missing.

"Well, well…" A sly voice said behind the group. Theron turned to look at the woman, he could instantly tell that she was a mage, though not as powerful as some of the other he had met. "What have we here?" She asked, Theron pushed passed the men who were too busy gawking at her to reply.

Theron looked her in the eye, and saw the same intelligence he saw in the crow.

"A scavenger, perhaps-"

"You were that crow." Theron interrupted

She arched her eyebrows in surprise, then she smiled "There's not much lost on you, is there?"

"You're not going to last very long out here, if you're not observant." Theron replied

She smirked, "Shall I guess your purpose here?"

"No need," Theron said "We're here looking for the Grey Warden treaties-"

"Don't tell her that!" Alistair interrupted "She looks Chasind, that means others may be near!"

Theron looked at him like he was stupid, he had spent many days fighting with the Chasind, and there's no way they would let Theron just walk around. "Oh, you fear barbarians will swoop down upon you!" She replied

"Yes… Swooping is bad."

Theron shook his head "I'm Theron, that's Alistair, Daveth and Jory."

The witch smiled "I am Morrigan, your treaties are not here, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, because you stole them." Alistair stated

Both Theron and Morrigan took the time to give the warrior a dirty look. Theron shook his head again "You wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you?"

"My mother has them." She replied simply

"Oh, don't tell me you're believing her!"Alistair cried

"Well, Alistair they're not obviously **here**, so unless you want to go back to Duncan empty handed, I suggest you follow the only other lead we have." Theron shot back, and the warrior shut up. The elf turned back to Morrigan "Can you take us to her?"

She laughed, "Of course, follow me, if you will."

OoOoOoOo

Now SHE was a witch. Not like Morrigan, she was old and powerful, of that, Theron had no doubt. She pretended to be completely out of her mind, but the elf knew better. There was no way she'd last this long being an old insane bat. Theron was impressed that he didn't have to go on a quest to defeat a giant dragon or something in order get the treaties though.

As they were leaving, Flemeth asked "How did you get that lash, boy?" with a toothy grin

Theron raised an eyebrow, and Alistair put his head down. But to the warrior's surprise Theron said lightly "Fell out of a tree."

Flemeth laughed "And here I thought the Dalish prided themselves on their surefooted-ness."

"It's hard to keep your balance when the branch snaps out from under you."

Flemeth laughed again "Well then, perhaps you'd better lose some weight, big boy."

Theron gave her a dirty look "_You bitch." _

Again, she cackled "Good luck, Grey Wardens."

OoOoOo

Theron sat completely without motion. His eyes were closed and it was taking all his concentration not to beat the warrior who had become his shadow. Theron's stomach felt as if it were aflame, and his head was nearly ready to explode, not to mention his newly acquired wound across his back-which the Dale had refused to let a healer tend too, claiming that if Alistair didn't do a good enough job, to stop him from dying, then that was too damn bad- The warriors constant talking, seemed _endless_. It was as if Alistair was content just to hear himself talk, Theron didn't even have to say anything for him to be satisfied. Alistair stuck to Theron like glue, refusing to let the elf out of his sight if only for a moment.

The Joining would not take place for another few hours, so the recruits had some time to kill. Daveth was trying to sleep with anything that moved, and Jory was praying rather loudly about the coming battle. Theron and Alistair sat under a tree, though the Dale refused to sit too close to the warrior.

"Say, what is that?"

Theron nearly missed the question, he wasn't exactly paying attention to the warrior. "What is what?" Theron asked, not opening his eyes.

Alistair poked his cheek "This-"

Theron gripped the warriors hand, with a quick flick of his wrist and twisted it, threatening to break his fingers. "Do not touch me." Theron hissed, and shot a scowl to the Warden

"Agh, sorry! Didn't mean too!" Alistair cried out, for a rouge, he had a death grip!

Theron released his hand, and Alistair retracted it quickly, making a mental note to never touch the elf again. Theron touched his own cheek, trying to figure out what the warrior was asking. "The vallaslin?" the elf asked, pointing to his tattoo.

"Vallahalin? What is that mean?"

"'_Vallaslin'_" Theron corrected, "it means blood writing in English."

Alistair grimaced "That's blood?"

Theron sighed, was he really going to try and explain his traditions to this human? "Yes, it's blood. When a Dale is believed to be able to handle the responsibilities of an adult, you go through a rite where it's applied."

The warrior thought about this for a moment. "Did it hurt?"

Theron cursed under his breath, Alistair's constant questioning did nothing but annoy the Dale. "Obviously. But if you cry out, it's shown as a sign of weakness and that you are still a child." Theron explained "Then the Keeper can deem you unfit, and stop the rite-"

"Theron, Alistair." Roland called, and the Dale immediately shot to his feet and pulled a knife on the Senior Warden. Roland took a step back, "Whoa, calm down there. I just wanted to bring you two food." he explained

"I don't want it." Theron jeered through clenched teeth

Roland gave him a dirty look, "You haven't eaten since before you got sick."

"You haven't eaten for _five _days!?" an astonished Alistair asked, but his question fell onto deaf ears.

"I'm not hungy." the elf growled, and his stomach picked that moment to make the sound of a dying whale in disagreement.

Roland raised an eyebrow and the Dale, and Theron glared down at his stomach "_Oh, hush you._" he muttered


	6. Shut Up

Guys! I'm sorry!  
I got super busy and to make up for it I wrote the shortest chapter yet :(  
I'm sorry..  
But uh, kudos to that one dude who pointed out that I was spelling 'rogue' as 'rouge'! Thanks for saving me from further embarrassment!  
OoOoOo

Alistair could now understand why Theron was being such dick to everyone around him. He was tainted- which also explained why someone who their entire life outside was so pale- so his insides probably felt like they were on fire. Duncan and Roland were possible one of the few humans he actually had contact with, and they had literally _dragged _him away from everything that he had ever know. And the first human that he gets paired up with for mission nearly cut him down.

For Alistair, joining the Wardens was a sense of relief. He had been resigned to be a Templar with no choice in the matter, and Duncan had saved him for that.

But Theron saw the Grey Warden's as a bad presence. It was quite possible that he saw them as something that destroyed everything they touched.

The elf scowled as the other recruits and Alistair waited for Duncan to come, so that they could begin the Joining. Daveth and Jory were getting into a heated argument over it, and Alistair didn't think it was going to stop. Theron was obviously annoyed too, or was he? The elf seemed constantly annoyed, maybe this was no different?

"**Shut up**," Theron nearly yelled at the other recruits. And it was made _clear _this was a different annoyed "Jory, stop whinning, it's much too late to pussy out now, trust me, I've tried! And Daveth, quit being a shit-stirrer! Jory will finely start calming down then you squeak out something else and he gets all fucking whiny again! If you two don't **shut up, **I will cut your balls out from underneath you."

Daveth scoffed "You got any balls to back that up-" Daveth was interrupted by Theron's knee making a sudden contact with the human's testicles. When he fell to his knees in pain, Theron roundhouse kicked him on the jaw, not as hard as he wanted too, but enough to make his point.

His point being _Shut the fuck up._

As Daveth laid on the ground, moaning in pain, the other two men looked at the elf. Who simply raised his eyebrows, silently asking if the other two were going to say something, and knowing they'd join Daveth on the ground if they did.

They stayed silent.

And when Duncan walked up to the scene, he didn't comment on it.

Theron rubbed at his aching migraine while Alistair muttered some shit about there being sacrifice in death or something. Again, he wasn't really paying attention to what was going around him. But he certainly snapped to interest as he watched Daveth choke to death. And it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he watched quite closely as Duncan ran Jory through.

Duncan turned to the elf "Theron…. step forward."

"Yeah, doesn't really look like you're giving much of choice." he said sarcastically to hide his fear

"There's always a choice…" Duncan replied

Theron raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, death, death, or death. Wonderful options, really." the elf snatched the chalice from the Commander's hands "'Would you like to choke to death, be stabbed to death, or die trying to run away. These are the great options we offer all of our recruits! Long live the _fucking _Wardens!"' Theron mocked in an over-eager salesman voice "This is beginning to sound a lot like a bad story written by a hopelessly romantic teenage girl!"

Theron tipped the cup up and let the blood slither down his throat. He grimaced and gagged, dropping the cup and muttering "I see more blood vomiting in my future…" before passing out.

Duncan and Alistair stared at each other for a moment in disbelief.

The son of bitch was still breathing.


	7. BACON!

Hey, if anyone's interested, I think I found Theron's Theme Song!  
watch?v=2qLlyqR19gU&feature=related  
Yes, no, maybe so?

What do you guys think it should be?

oOoOo

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Roland shouted in disgust "OUT OF THREE GOOD RECRUITS **HE **IS THE ONLY ONE THAT LIVES!?" He pointed to the comatose elf lying on the ground, his head slightly bleeding where it had smacked against concrete when Alistair had failed to catch him.

"The Keeper did say he was quite remarkable." Duncan remarked "Roland, he is your brother now, and he deserves more than your petty dislike."

"This is not a 'petty dislike'! I loathe him!"

"What!? You 'love' me!?"

Roland snapped his head down to look at the now fully awake elf "I said 'loathe'!" Roland instantly hissed through his clenched teeth

Horrified, Theron looked at him "I'm not hearing a difference!"

"Wha- ONE is to like, a lot! And the other is to hate with the passion of the fade behind it!" Roland screeched

"How _the fuck _are you suppose to tell the difference when they're pronounced the same!?"

Roland made a strangling motion with his hands, completely frustrated "They're not!" He barked "One is 'loathe' and the other is 'love'!"

Theron didn't get it, he kept only hearing one word. He just stared at the older man with the same expression he would have if someone had just puked on his head. The elf shook his head and muttered "I will never understand the English langue…"

oOoOoOo

Sidelined. Theron had never been sidelined in his life. He was one of the best warriors of his clan, and yet here he was, be sent off to 'light the bacon'. Why in the goddamn would he need to light some bacon!? There were in the middle of a war, for fuck's sake! Now was not the time to be thinking of cooked meat!

And getting to said bacon was proving more difficult than he thought. You would think the Darkspawn had an undying obsession with the two Wardens by how quickly they were able to track them down. But Theron no longer felt like he was about to pass out every second, and even felt like he had renewed energy. So the Darkspawn really stood no chance against the pair. Alistair had heard that the elf was an excellent rogue, but to see him fighting with his own two eyes… The warrior hoped he'd never have to fight the elf.

The sprinted up the steps to the final floor where they would at last be able to light the bacon. Alistair, who was ahead of the elf, stopped on a dime, and Theron ran straight into him. The warrior didn't even feel the elf who was rebounded onto the floor.

"_You dumb shit._" Theron muttered and quickly picked himself up to look at whatever stopped the human in his tracks. The elf's jaw dropped when he looked upon the lumbering mountain of a Darkspawn. The elf groaned, then sprinted towards the beast, yelling "C'mon now! It's not gonna' kill itself!"

Alistair snapped out of his fear, and turned to his other companions "He's right! Let's go!" and then charged the brute.

Theron jumped onto the ogre's thigh, stabbing one of his daggers into the flesh. The brute roared, and smack Theron away. The elf skidded across the floor, and into a nearby wall with a nasty cracking of his rib. The rogue groaned in pain, and picked himself up. Alistair and the other warrior who had followed the two up here were busy trying bring down the ogre. Theron prepped his swords and sprinted towards the beast again, only this time lunging higher with his jump, and rammed his swords into the brute's back. The ogre screeched and the men all suddenly thought that that might be the last sound any of them heard.

The ogre staggered around, trying furiously to tear the elf from his back. Theron pulled out one of his blades, and reemerged it into the base of the beast's neck. Grunting and groaning, the brute finally fell to its knees in defeat, then flopped to the ground with its dying breath, nearly falling onto Alistair in the process.

Theron pulled his blades free, "I hope to never have to face one of those again." he said

Alistair smirked at his now blood soaked comrade, "You probably will, they're pretty common when you're with the Grey Wardens."

_Good thing I'm not staying long. _Theron didn't say, instead he said "I bet we missed the signal, we should probably just light the damn thing."

"Good thinking," Alistair commented, and trotted over to the signal fire. "I'll light the beacon now…"

Theron's eyebrows shot up as he realized his brainless mistake. He smiled inwardly to himself, _Bacon… _He thought _Wow, I really am terrible at English._

The elf stepped up to the window and looked down at the massacre below him. He grimaced and the scene. Alistair lit the signal and the sudden brightness lit up all the spilt blood as if it were Wintersday. Alistair joined him at the window, and frowned. Theron leaned out the window, and looked to where Loghain's army would be marching in.

But they didn't.

Theron knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. "What in the Beyond?" he asked, as he saw the army turn the other way and begin to walk.

"What?" Alistair asked, and leaned over the railing to see. His jaw dropped, "What on earth?!"

Theron threw his hands up, "We're going to lose the battle if he doesn't get ass in there!" he growled

Alistair just stared in silence, trying to understand what was going on. Theron felt his anger growing. "C'mon!" He nearly yelled "I have someone's balls to cut off!" The elf turned on his heel and dashed back towards the stairs. But when he threw open the door, he was met with a knife slicing its way through his stomach. Theron gagged on the blood that forced its way up his throat.

"Theron!" Alistair shouted, the Hurlock withdrew his blade and Theron fell to the ground. Alistair tore to the elf and cut the Hurlock down with much effort. The warrior then knelt over the elf, pressing his hands to the wound to try and stop the bleeding. "Hold on, mate." Alistair pleaded

Theron simply stared up at human, unable to say anything.

"Don't worry, you're safe now." Alistair said

But Theron could sense the Darkspawn making their way to them too, and he knew he wasn't going to make it out of this one.

_Don't worry Tamlen… _Theron thought _It won't be long now until I see you… _


	8. Sorry Did My Back Damage Your Knife?

Alistair sat in the corner of the room, his head buried in his hands. If Theron didn't wake up, he was going to be the only Grey Warden left in all of Ferelden. He dared to take a peek, slightly opening his fingers, peering through the cracks. The elf lie motionless on the bed, it was only if Alistair truly focused that he could the shallow rise and fall of his chest.

"Oh dear Maker…" Alistair whispered, and hid his face in his hands once more "Please don't let him die…" The warrior stood, and slinked across the creaking floor to the chair in front of the bed. When they were back in the tower, and Theron was bleeding out… Alistair couldn't even think properly. He just couldn't believed that it had even happed. Alistair had seen the demon that Theron possessed in his fighting ability. The elf paid close attention to his surroundings, and always knew where the enemy was. Except when he was blinded by rage, obviously.

He reached out and brushed the sleeping elf's forehead with his fingertips. He was burning up, and sweat had plastered his short black hair to his scalp. Though Flemeth and Morrigan had healed most of his wounds, a lot of them had scarred, and Flemeth had simply refused to heal the gash that the warrior had gave him. Saying it was a reminder. Whether it was to remind Theron or Alistair, the warrior had no idea.

Alistair sighed, leaning back into the chair. The rogue had been out for three days now, and even Flemeth was beginning to doubt that he'd wake. The warrior put his chin in his hand, "C'mon, you son of bitch…" Alistair pleaded "Don't leave me to fight this on my own."

The door swung open behind him, and Alistair didn't have to look to know that it was Flemeth. Her bare feet slapped against the wooden floor as she made her way over to the two. "He awake yet?"

Depressed, Alistair answered "No, not yet… Do… Do you think that he…?"

The witch looked down at him for a brief second before replying "Won't wake up? No, I believe that he will."

Alistair wanted to believe her, but he felt no comfort from her words.

Flemeth scoffed as she looked over to the fireplace. "Make yourself useful, boy, and go gather some firewood."

Alistair looked up at her and sighed, nodding. He stood and made his way outside.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Flemeth cracked her knuckles, and cackled. It was time to rouse the sleeping elf.

oOoOo

Alistair kicked the dirt as he walked. What if Theron didn't wake up, and he was left to deal with the Blight by himself? Or what if he did wake, and refused to help him? That would still leave a lonely Alistair to fight a war.

The warrior's thoughts immediately ceased as a screamed "Fuck!" sliced through the air. He jerked his head back- that cry was definitely coming from Flemeth's hut, and sounded quite like Theron. He dropped the wood he was carrying, and broke into a sprint towards the cabin.

More screams and curses carved their way past him as he ran, and when he finally reached the clearing, what he saw confused him enough to stop him in his tracks.

Flemeth had Theron pinned by his throat up to a tree, to silence the screaming. "Now, is that any way to greet the woman who saved your life?" The witch asked him

Theron struggled for a moment, trying to kick the woman away without success. "You didn't save my life," the elf gasped "you ruined my death!"

Flemeth cackled "'Ruined your death' ey!? My, I like you!" The witch dropped Theron, where he landed on his hands and knees, gasping for air. Flemeth laughed "Like a cat! You always land on all fours!"

Theron fumed, and punched the woman in her stomach with as much force as he could muster. Flemeth stumbled back, and the elf took the opportunity to take a running charge at her. But when Theron went tackle the witch, she simply vanished. Disappeared into a thick red mist.

The elf stood, his eyes darting around, waiting for the witch to reappear.

"My, how scared you look." Theron heard from behind him, he whipped around, only to find the voice of the witch had no person to match. "What is it you most fear?"

Flemeth's voice seem to echo around him, and he turned in every direction, trying to find the witch to no avail. He glanced at Alistair, who seemed just as confused as he was.

Theron reached for a knife that wasn't there, and he realized that he was only wearing his leggings and a few bandages wrapped around his torso.

"Is it being unarmed and defenseless?" Flemeth whispered in his ear, but again the elf could not find her person.

"As long as I still have my mind, I am not defenseless."Theron replied. Fine, if she wanted to play, Theron would play.

"Then is it fighting an enemy you cannot see?" Flemeth whispered to him

"I do not need my eyes to fight."

"Perhaps it's being in a place that you do not know?"

"Never, I can learn and adapt."

"Is that so? Then tell me, my dear Theron, what is it you fear most?"

Theron smirked "It's when someone other than me eats the last cookie."

Flemeth laughed whole heartedly "You are a silly boy, elf." The witch materialize a few yards in front of him. But to her surprise Theron didn't charge her. The only reason he did not, was because he knew when he was completely out of his league.

"What the hell is going on!?" Alistair demanded, running to stand by Theron

"You're late." Was all Theron said, and Flemeth simply ignored the question.

"We need to talk," Flemeth said, and took a few steps closer to them, "the Darkspawn won your battle."

"Because Loghain quit the field." Theron spat, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I don't understand, why would he do that?" Alistair asked

"Because he's a man with a very small _penis._" Theron scoffed

The warrior looked at him funny, "I don't think I want to know what **that **word means."

"Enough." Flemeth interjected "I saved you two because it has always been the Grey Wardens duty to unite the land against the Dark-"

"So you grabbed the two new recruits." Theron interrupted, sarcasm dripped from his words "Why save the leader, or the king, when you can save to two new bloods? Brilliant plan, really."

"Better watch your tongue, boy." Flemeth threatened "Or someone might just cut it out."

Theron waved his hand in dismissal, "Look, if you're going to try and talk me into saving the land by appealing to a sense of duty that I do not possess. You might as well as just save your breath. I never wanted to be a Warden in the first place."

Alistair looked at him in dismay, and then in anger "Duncan saved you! You would be dead right now if not for him!"

"You say that like it would be a bad thing." Theron replied, dangerously calm.

Alistair stared at him is disbelief. He wanted to die…?

Theron shook his head "If you two want to save the land, good luck. I'll protect my family first." he said, and began to walk away from the witch and the warrior.

"Bu-but you don't even have a shirt! Or shoes!" Alistair called after him, trying to get him to return. Even if it were only for a moment.

"I do not wear shoes, and I can make my own shirt."

Alistair hesitated, trying to think of reasons to make Theron pause. "What about food?"

"I'm Dalish. I hunt for my own food, or I don't eat."

Alistair could stare after him, not being able to think of any argument that would bring him back.

"Your friend is not dead." Flemeth said simply, just as Theron reached the edge of the forest.

Alistair wasn't sure he heard it until Theron stopped in his tracks. The elf slowly turned back to the witch who muttered the words to him. "What?" He demanded

"Your friend, the one you went into the cave with, still yet breathes."

Theron stared at the witch and she stared right back at him, while Alistair looked between the two of them. "How do you know about that?" Theron demanded

"You won't find him if you go to the Free Marches after your clan."

Theron stomped his way back to the two "I said: How did you know about that!?" he demanded again, mere inches from Flemeth's face, their noses almost touching.

"You do not scare me, boy."

Theron stared at her, then faltered "He still lives…?" Theron asked in a small voice.

"Of course, he is as strong as you, just not as lucky." Flemeth replied "But you will not find him by fleeing back to your clan with your tail between your legs." Theron swallowed, he knew what was coming next "He will find you, but only if you stay in Ferelden, you would not abandon him twice, would you?"

Flemeth might as well as stabbed him through the heart with a rusty fork. Theron flinched at her comment. Alistair watch sadly as he began to understand. Theron was feeling suicidal because he wasn't able to protect someone he cared about. And Flemeth had dug up the grave to be able to get the elf to do whatever she wished.

"Now, to gather your army, you will have to travel all over Ferelden. Therefore you will be able to search for your friend. Will you do this?" Flemeth asked

Theron nodded, his face full of sadness.

"Chin up, boy. You have a country to save." The witch cackled


	9. That Awful Silence

When Alistair first met Theron, everything just the rogue pissed him off. The warrior almost believed that his face at rest was a scowl. But now when he looked at the rogue all he saw was a heartbreaking sadness. Theron seemed to be on the edge of tears ever since they left Flemeth's hut. Even when the marbari he saved at Ostagar showed up, the elf only patted it a few times then kept walking- but since he hadn't told the dog to leave, it simply followed the party.

It was dusk when the party stopped and set up camp. Theron hadn't said a word since Flemeth degraded him. He set up his tent, then lit a fire, plopping down in front of it, the marbari lying down next to him. Morrigan set up her tent the furthest away from the flame and stayed isolated in her own corner of the campsite. Once Alistair finished setting up his own tent, he sat opposite of the elf in front of the fire.

"…Nice night." Alistair commented, not being able to think of anything else to say.

Theron didn't even acknowledge his presence. He simply stared into the ever changing glow of the flame.

"Uhm… Are you hungry?" Alistair asked, and Theron looked up at him for a brief moment before shaking his head and dropping his eyes. "Well, witch, what about you?" He called over to Morrigan

"As if I touch something you made, fool." she called back

"Such a bitch. Why'd we bring her again?" Alistair jested

Theron just shrugged in response, and Alistair shut up. Obviously he didn't want to talk. But the warrior didn't like the silence, it brought back too many bad memories. Alistair joined Theron in staring at the fire in front of them, and immediately his thoughts went to Duncan. He was dead. And there was nothing he could do about. Why did he have to send him to that damn tower!? If he was down on the battlefield he could've protected him or… or something, damn it! But instead he was up lighting a beacon that was ignored.

"Are you okay?" Alistair's eyes snapped up to the elf, who was watching him with a sad expression. The warrior must have made a weird face, because then the elf said "You just suddenly looked miserable… Do you want to talk about… you know, Duncan?"

Alistair stared at him in disbelief for a moment, as his jaw landed somewhere in the Deep Roads.

Theron looked awkwardly off to the side before gazing back at the warrior "You spoke fondly of him, so I just thought that you might want to talk about it…"

Alistair hesitated "You… don't have to that. I know you didn't like him…"

Theron sighed, no shit he didn't like him, but Alistair did and therefore it's worth speaking about, no? "He was like a father to you, I understand…" He didn't really, but Theron figured there was no room in this party for two depressed suicidal people.

Alistair caved "If I had been with him- then maybe… he wouldn't have…" Alistair sighed "I don't know… If I hadn't of left him, he might've still been here." He shook his head "That sounds completely stupid, doesn't it?"

Theron shook his head "It doesn't sound stupid at all."

Alistair looked down at his hands, "It just doesn't seem fair. He didn't deserve to go like that…"

That was something Theron understood perfectly. "Maybe you could set him up a burial? Did he have any family?" Not that Tamlen's burial had given Theron any closure, but funerals usually gave comfort to most people.

Alistair shook his head, "No, not that I know of anyways. I think he was Highever though."

"Then… when all this is over, you should see if you could set something up for him over there."

Alistair looked up at the elf with a small smile. "Yeah, that sounds good. When all this is over…" he repeated "The Dalish don't practice cremation, do they?" Theron shook his head "How do your people honor your dead?"

Tamlen's funeral quickly flashed through his mind, before Theron forced it out of his thoughts. _He's still alive, gods damn it._ He told himself. But he didn't exactly believe it.

"We burry them…" Theron said quietly "Then plant a tree over the remains, to show that even if there is death, life can always come forth…"

The elf expected Alistair to mock him, or just to not say anything in disgust. That's how most humans seemed to view his beliefs.

"That…" Theron braced himself for the worst as Alistair spoke "That sounds quite beautiful, actually." he said, and Theron stared up at the man in disbelief. "Life… springing from death." Alistair mused

Despite how terrible Theron was feeling, he let a small smile grace his lips. This man was easily better than all the other humans he had met in the past.

"Thank you…" Alistair said

Theron raised his eyebrows "For what?"

"For this- it's good to talk about it… Even just a little." Alistair replied

Theron studied the other man, "Yeah… Anytime…"

"Do you want to talk?" The warrior asked after some time of just watching elf, expecting him to open up about his friend and the cave. Except he didn't, which meant he doesn't want to talk about it, or he wanted to be asked…

Theron raised his eyebrows in question, "Did we not already?" he asked, truly confused. Had he imagined the whole conversation?

Alistair gave a small laugh, "No, I mean about your friend…"

Theron dropped his eyes back to the flame, "No. I really don't… But thank you."

Alistair looked at him disappointed, before giving him a warm smile, "Sure thing."

_Give him some time…_ Alistair recalled Duncan's words. The warrior wasn't really a patience man, but something told him that this elf really needed a friend right now.

And friends waited for friends.

oOoOoOo

Whaaaaaaa- Two chapters in one night? What is this sorcery!?

What did you guys think?

Do you like it so far? Any requests or questions?

If anyone's interested, there's a few (billion) drawings of Theron

burnet9. deviantart gallery/ 39510060#


	10. Spokening? Speakoning?

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay! I was getting ready to finish up this chapter and then I fucking crashed my car.

I was quite disconcerted. So this chapter got postponed.

But fear not, everyone is fine, but my car will take over a thousand dollars to fix….. Not that you guys actually care, it's just nice to complain :I  
Anyhow, I also didn't realize this site was jacking up my links so here they are, with like 7,000 spaces in them, if you guys can even be bothered with them :) -

Theron's theme song- ww w. you tube watch?v= 2qLlyqR19gU

Theron's Drawing Gallery- burnet9. devian tart gallery/39510060

Let's hope that works…

oOoOo

"For merely ten silvers, we'll let you pass."

Theron crossed his arms, and cocked an eyebrow at the bandit. "I could drop you with a punch, shem."

Alistair noticed that the elf no longer wore his sad expression that plagued him the night before. Now it seemed that he was back to hating everything in existence.

The leader looked back at his underlings and led them in a laugh "You really think you'd last two seconds in a fight with me? I killed a whole garrison of guards to insure my freedom from Denerim!"

"Then one elf **really **shouldn't be a problem for you." Theron ridiculed

The bandit scoffed "You got a lot nerve, knife-ear."

"Almost as much as your bravado. Here's the deal: You win, I'll give you all the money we're carrying and slink away quietly."

Smug, the bandit nodded "Sounds good to me."

"But if I win, you answer all our questions then leave this place."

"How do we know when it's over?" The thug asked, sporting a arrogant smile

"First on who lands on their ass?"

"Deal!" The thief laughed and drew his sword "Best start emptying your pockets now, elf-"

Theron had stopped the man with a quick punch, accompanied by a horrible cracking sound. The bandit fell on his ass and grabbed his jaw, whimpering in pain.

"Oh look." Theron said plainly "You're on your ass."

Alistair smiled happily, and even Morrigan got enjoyment out of it. "Y-you cheated!" The bandit stuttered out

"How?" Alistair asked "You drew your blade, thus starting match."

The thug stared up at them in disbelief, then grumbled "Fine, what do you want to know?"

After Theron had questioned the bunch of idiots, he chased them off. And it wasn't until they were out of sight that he grimaced in pain and looked at his hand. "_Son of a bitch!_" He cried out as his looked at his two dislocated fingers.

Alistair grimaced along with him "That snapping sound was from you?!"

"Yeah…" Theron said calmly, as he mentally talked himself into cracking his fingers back into position. Making his thoughts a reality, Theron gripped the two fingers and snapped them back to their original sockets, with a low groan.

"Well, uh, since we're stopped, we should talk about where we're going." Alistair said

"Ah, so you do still possess your voice? Did falling on your blade in grief become boring?" Morrigan snipped

Alistair was about to mock back, but Theron quickly cut in "You have some thoughts on where we should go, Alistair?" The rogue was not in the mood to listen to their bickering at the moment. Or ever, really.

"Okay, well, we have Treaties for the Dalish Elves, The Circle of Magi and the Dwarves of Orzammar. But we can also go to Eamon- the Arl of Redcliff."

Theron nodded "My clan has already gone north, but Zathrian's clan is suppose to be in the Brecilian Forest around this time of year…" Theron thought aloud "Redcliff is to the west, right? Or is that Denerim?"

"Redcliff- Denerim's to the east." Alistair explained, and pulled out his map, "Redcliff is about five days trip from here, but the Brecilian Forest is only three. We should probably head there first."

"Then we can grab the Treaty, swing back around, and head through Redcliff, up to Orzammar then to the Circle." Theron traced the route with the tip of his finger.

"What about Denerim?" Morrigan asked "We should go after Loghain directly, then this whole business with the Treaties can be done in safety."

"Right!" Alistair scoffed "Not like he has the advantage there with his army, experience, and-"

"That's enough, Alistair." Theron cut in "Morrigan, you heard that bandit talking, as far as anyone is concerned, Alistair and I are wanted criminals. There's no way the city guard is just going to let us walk around. It'll be more easy for us to avoid the law if we don't go waltzing into the capital."

"Humph, I suppose you are right." Morrigan replied

"Lovely, now that we all agree let's see what else we can find out from here." Theron said and began to lead the group down and into the town. First, he stumbled upon a few elves who he gladly gave some food too, second, a little boy who had lost his mother, third, found said boy's mother dead, fourth, released a Quanari into his custody with a few well placed threats, and finally, wandered into the tavern on Alistair word that they would be able to find information- where of course they was attack by a few of Loghain's lackeys.

A red headed woman came up and tried to defuse the situation to no avail. Theron was looking for a fight, and was happy to obliged. Of course the followers stood no chance against the raging elf and his campaions. Theron had them begging for mercy within three minutes.

The elf gripped the leader of Loghain's lackeys by the front of his breastplate, dragging him down to Theron's level- the human was a full head taller than the elf, after all. The rogue gave the minion a nasty scowl, along with a hash whisper saying "Tell Loghain: The Grey Wardens know what **really **happened at Ostagar… And if he wants to get rid of us, he's going to have to do a hell of a lot better than this."

The underling nodded quickly, his face full of fear. "Yes!" He squeaked "I'll tell him! Now!" and nearly ran from the inn.

Theron cracked his neck "Good idea Alistair," Theron said, with only a little sarcasm attached, he had enjoyed annihilating Loghain's followers.

Alistair smirked "Yes, Ser McAsshat, because I knew Loghain's lackeys would be in here."

The elf shot him a spiteful glare, "Sorry for interrupting…" The red headed woman said, with a warm smile.

Theron didn't look at her, just shrugged her off "You're not, we were just leaving." he said, walking to the door.

She lit right up "Great! Where are we going!?" she asked excitedly

Theron gave her a look that sent chills down her spine "**We're** not going anywhere." he spoke bluntly, as he gestured to himself and the red head "But I'm leaving."

"But I could come with you-" The red headed started

"No." Theron broke her off

"I can fight! I can do more than fight! I can-"

"No." Theron interrupted again

Her lips formed a small line, determined to get this stubborn elf to let her join. "I have too… The Maker told me to!"

Theron crossed his arms over his chest, and raised his eyebrows. "And I should give a damn what your God wants because…?"

Alistair looked at the elf, he was nothing like Duncan had described in the letter. Duncan had mentioned that Theron was completely understanding, and always willing to give chances and help people. Yet Theron was acting like a total chauvinist- but then again, he _had _sent that letter before Theron lost his best friend to the Darkspawn, and literally got dragged into the Wardens.

The woman bit her bottom lip, trying to come up with an argument. "H-he's not just **my **God!" She insisted "There are, uh, many people who believe in the Maker!"

Theron rolled his eyes, and started walking away, "Well, I am not counted among them." he marched out of the tavern door, the red head following close behind.

She reached out to grab his shoulder, but Alistair shot his hand forward and grabbed her wrist. Questioning, she looked at him, and Alistair mouthed to her 'Don't touch him,' remembering his painful experience from when he had made contact with him at Ostagar.

She pulled her hand free just as Theron glanced back at her. Annoyed, he sighed "Look-" He snapped, turning to face her "I'm going to say this **VE-RY **slowly…." he said, dragging out his words "You." he pointed to her "Not coming." he shook his head, and swished his hands through the air in a motion that said "No."

Now Alistair stepped in "Theron- she just wants to help, you saw what she could do in that tavern."

He glanced at the warrior. It was amazing how the elf could send whole messages with only a momentary look. The message he sent was "Alistair, you can agree with me, or you can shut the fuck up."

"You said it yourself- we need all the help we can get."

Theron shook his head, "I said no, and I meant it! End of discussion! " he nearly yelled

"Theron, please-" Alistair pleaded

"No!" he instantly snapped "Now we're done spokening- speakening- SPEAKING?!- Argh!- **Talking** about it!" Theron threw his hands in the air "_Gods damn the fucking English language!_" He shouted in Elvish, as he stomped his way towards the Imperial Highway.

He already hated this quest.


	11. Suffocation

Theron, now in full sprint, tore to the edge of the cliff waiting until the last possible second to jump. He cut through the air and dropped a good twenty feet before clinging onto the vine. He continued to drop as the trailing plant lost its slack, before tightening under the rogue's weight. Theron whooped, as he swung on the vine. Releasing it and diving down into the clear waters of the Brecilian forest. When he swam back to the top of the water, laughing, he was greeted by his best friend's bright smile.

"I will never tire of that!" Theron said happily, kicking his feet to stay afloat.

Tamlen laughed "Neither will I!" He agreed "Nor this-" he said as he dunked Theron under the water.

Theron laughed under the water, causing a cascade of bubbles to rise the surface. He then latched onto Tamlen's waist and began to swim downward, making his friend sink. Tamlen finally pulled free after a twenty foot descent, and both he and Theron smiled widely at each other, trying to hold onto the little breath they still consumed in their lungs, and yet still enjoying themselves. Tamlen playfully pushed him away, and then quickly turned to swim away.

Theron swam after him, following him into an underwater cave, the only light coming from the gaps between the rocks and the surface. Theron reached out for his friend, attempting to grip his foot, so that Tamlen would be 'it' in this game of tag. The rogue missed only by an inch, and Tamlen began to swim faster, with Theron close on his tail.

As they swam deeper into that cave, the light began to diminish, slowly enough that Theron didn't even realize it until he could no longer see anything. He stopped swimming and instead just floated, and looked back, only to be met with darkness. He began turning every which way, not even being able to find which way he had started from, nor which way he was going.

He felt panic rising in his stomach, he turned in the direction which he thought would lead him back to the caverns entrance, only to be met with a ragged stone wall, that cut his hand when he reached out. He withdrew his had quickly, releasing a small cloud of bubbles with a curse. He turned the other way, only to be met with the same result. He then began to feel all around him, looking for anyway out at all. To be again, and again, met with the sharp stone that was leisurely cutting through all the skin on his hands and elbows.

His lungs began to burn, his four minutes of holding his breath now catching up with him. He felt above him, below him… Or did he? He no longer knew which was which! He was sure that if he could see his vision would be blurring now. Theron began to scream, before instantly snapping his jaws shut when he realized how pointless it was.

He twisted and turned, his chest now burning in pain. He cried out his best friend's name with the last breath of air he had in his lungs, before the darkness consumed him.

Theron gasped into conscious, jerking himself upright. He stared at his shaking hands, prior to pressing them to his face, and through his hair.

"Bad dreams, huh?"

The elf's head instantaneously snapped to the voices owner. Alistair, who was on watch, was sitting across the fire, looking to him with his face full of concern. Theron wanted to scowl, to tell the human to mind his own damn business, but he couldn't seem to find his tongue.

"Don't worry, most Wardens dream about the Darkspawn…" Alistair offered, with a warm smile.

Theron sighed in defeat "Right… Darkspawn…"

"It takes a I bit, but you'll be able to block it out, after a while."

The elf grumbled, and kicked his covers off. Looking up at the sky, he was able to tell that it was just over five in the morning. _Lovely, three hours of sleep…_ he thought, as he knelt down in front of the pot containing whatever ungodly 'food' Alistair made last night. He has mixed reactions as his nose enjoyed the whiff it got, but his eyes grimaced at the sight of it.

"…What is this?" Theron asked, the night before the elf hadn't eaten, nor even stayed to see what was being made. Simply dragged his bedroll to the far side of camp, not bothering to put up his tent, and attempted to sleep.

"It's stew!" Alistair replied happily, this was the first time Theron had even shown an interest food since the warrior had been with him.

Theron raised an eyebrow, leaning into smell it. It smelt like venison, peas, spices, and carrots, but it looked nothing like it. He shrugged, and scooped some of it into a bowl, plopping down across from Alistair in front of the fire.

"So, we should be able to find the Dalish by today, yes?" Alistair asked

Theron nodded, "Yes." he hesitantly toke a bite of the surprisingly delicious stew. "We'll probably find them by noon…"

oOoOo

"Or not…" Theron muttered under his breath.

Alistair looked at him questionably. "This is where they're suppose to be?"

Theron nodded

"But they're not here…" Leliana said quietly…

The rogue sighed, annoyed. The bard's presence bothered the shit out of him, the only reason she was here, was because Alistair had insisted on it. "Right." he said

"Then this was a waste of time." Grumbled Sten

Theron put a hand on his chin, and knit his eyebrows, thinking… "The only reason they wouldn't camp here, is if it were too dangerous…"

"Too dangerous?" Alistair repeated "What do you mean? There's nothing here!"

"Okay, wait, everyone be quiet." Theron said, and strained his ears, to try and hear something- anything, really.

"What are you doin-" Alistair began to ask

"Shh!" Theron hushed. He listened for a good two minutes, but there was nothing to hear. Absolutely nothing, not even any forest creatures, that were bound to be around at all times. It was much too quiet, especially for being this deep into the woods. Suddenly he noticed breathing that was not his nor his party members. He had ignored it at first, assuming it was Sten's, but soon found there was one breaths too many. He slightly turned his head to get a better angle to hear it from.

_It's heavy, and wolf like, but also not. As if it were something bigger than a wolf, but a bear is out of the question, much to light for that. A cub…? No, too slow. _Theron thought, as a child, he was taught to pick apart every sound he heard, to know the source by heart. So that when something was different, he'd be able to hear it.

He opened his eyes, and stared off into the direction where the breathing was coming from, and it stopped. He watched the place where he was quite sure the inhalations were coming from. Then he saw it, two bright arylide yellow eyes staring right back at him. He gazed at them curiously, not being able to associate them with any animal and they did not look like any person's eyes.

They in returned stared right back at him, displaying obvious anger, then they blinked and the bush rustled, and they were gone. With Theron's companions being none the wiser.

Theron's heart pounded in his chest."_Just what in the hell was that…?_" He asked himself in Elvish, to be sure that his companions would not be able to pick up on his fear.

"What?" Leliana asked

He looked at her, and then shrugged. "If they're not camped here, then they'd be camped about ten miles off. Come on, then." he said, and began to lead them.

He glanced back to the spot where the eyes had been, not a moment ago, his heart still pounding.

That thing was no animal, and definitely no person.


	12. The Past is A Ghost That Never Leaves

For those of you who are confused: Yes, Leliana came along anyways. Because Theron is a sucker for Alistair's puppy eyes.

…You guys, I haven't updated in such a long time, but you're still following me, and even new people are following… You guys really have no idea how much that means to me…

…Thank you…!

oOoOo

"Okay, everyone, just… stay behind me." Theron said as they approached the Dalish camp.

"Why?" Alistair asked

"Because…" Theron turned to look at his mixed and matched companions "Upon seeing a whole armed freak show like us, they'll probably open fire on us."

"What? But we haven't done anything…" Leliana said quietly

"That's true, but what would you do if five-" Rum whined "-six, armed strangers strolled into your home?" Theron explained

"But you're Dalish, they shouldn't shoot at us if you're with us." Leliana stated

_Creators, keep me from punching her. _Theron silently pleaded "I know." Theron feigned like he was completely excited "That's why I want you guys behind me! That way they'll see me and hopefully not pump us full arrows!" he finished off sarcastically

"Theron!?"

The elf turned and locked eyes with the woman and her own party that was walking up to them, bows drawn.

"Mayrie," Theron gasped

The female elf broke into a sprint towards Theron and he opened his arms to catch her. But instead of the reuniting hug he had imagined a moment before, he got a sudden and sharp ache on the right side of his face, accompanied by the wonderful sound of a skull being smashed upon a tree trunk. Theron clutched where it hurt and waited for his vision to focus again. He had been so surprised by the sudden violence that he hadn't even called out in pain.

"_You son of bitch!_" She nearly screamed "_I thought you were dead!_"

"_So let me get this straight!_" Theron replied, looking up at her with growing anger. "_You find out that you're old boyfriend isn't dead- like you originally thought- so the first thing you do is attack him!?_"

She crossed her arms over her chest, "_Well, what did you expect!?_"

"_Not to have my head slammed into a tree, that's for damn sure!_" Theron looked at his gloved hand that was now damp with blood. "_I probably have a concussion now._" He moaned

"_You deserve it._" She stated matter-of-factly

His companions looked on with their eyes wide- everyone except for Sten. They hadn't a clue what the two elves were arguing about, but it certainly didn't look good.

"_What did I do to deserve that!?_"

"_Oh, I don't know, maybe making me think you were dead… Or how about the fact you left me for a __**man.**_"

Confused, Theron stared at her for a moment "_I never left you for a man!_"

"_Oh, bullshit!_" She said as she rolled her eyes "_Tamlen became single and all of a sudden it didn't work out between us!_" Theron couldn't even say anything, his jaw nearly plastered open. "_And now you come wandering in with __**him**_." She gestured to Alistair

Theron looked at the warrior for a moment, who stared at the elf completely confused. Why was he being drug into the argument?

"_No, no, no, no, no! I am not with him!_" He immediately snapped

"_Why not? He's attractive, in shape, looks stronger than you. He could protect you easily._" She sneered

"_Wha- were I going to bond with another male, __**I **__would be the man the relationship!_"

"_Sure you would. You certainly have a type, tall, blond, and handsome, huh?_"

"_I do not!- why would you- how could you even think- where did you get that- WHERE IS ZATHRIAN!?" _Theron demanded, interrupting himself_._

"_Why…?_" She teased "_So you can try and get into his pants as well?_"

"_Oh, for the love of- Just strike me down now, please!_" Theron called up to the sky, he looked back to his ex "_And you wonder why we broke up._" He said, knowing it would piss her off.

Suddenly her playful expression dropped, and was replaced with anger. She went to punch the dark haired elf, but he countered it and levered her into the very same tree she had slammed him into.

"HAH!" He said in triumph, then followed by a quick "Shit!" that graced his lips as he dodged another one of her punches. He ducked under another one, and made a bee line to the camp. She chased after him with growing fury.

"Get back here, you dick!"

oOoOo

Zathrian shook his head, "Still haven't grown up I see."

Theron popped his neck "Did you honestly expect me too? It's only been a year since I last saw you, Keeper. Oh how I've missed you!" He said, with sarcasm

The Keeper raised an eyebrow "And what do I owe for this 'lovely' visit, hmm?"

"I just couldn't stand to spend another moment without you, Keeper!" Theron feigned a swoon

Zathrian just rolled his eyes, "Why are you here, Theron?"

Theron smirked, and pulled out the treaties "I'm a Grey Warden now, the Dalish are obligated to help us during a Blight."

Zathrian's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Hmm, the Grey Wardens must've lowered their standards is they let **you **in, Theron."

Theron placed a hand over his heart, and fiegned hurt "Oh, Zathrian! Your cruel, **cruel, **words wound me so! If you continue to say them, my heart might break and kill me!"

"I wish it would!" Zathrian snapped, then gave a frustrated sigh "Look. Theron." Zathrian nearly spit his name "As much as I **hate **to admit it, I need your help."

Theron's eyebrows raised "You're asking me for help?"

"Shut up." Zathrian snapped again "There are…" The Keeper eyed his companions "_certain things in the forest. Is your party truly trust worthy?" _Zathrian asked

Theron raised an eyebrow at the Keeper's sudden language switch "_Obviously, I wouldn't travel with people I didn't trust." _Theron lied, he didn't really know anything about travel companions, and he certainly didn't trust them!

Zathrian hummed as he contemplated that, "Very well… There are Werewolves in this forest."

That statement earned a collective gasp and a few whispers from Theron's companions.

Theron hoisted up an unconvinced eyebrow, "Werewolves?" Theron repeated, his tone obviously skeptical, "Zathrian, that sounds like something I would make up."

Zathrian just solemnly shook his head, and motioned for the party to follow him.

It was the smell that hit him first, like rotting flesh and corpses. But these men and women weren't dead yet, though it would seem they were waiting on his doorstep. Theron grimaced at the sight of them all, as Zathrian explained about what had happened and how to stop it. He went on and on about the curse, and how supposedly the only way to stop it was to bring him the heart of their leader, Witherfang.

Of course Theron agreed to help, and even agreed to only taking three with him into the forest with him. He didn't see much point in bringing the entire party, sure they'd be better in fights, but for sneak? They'd be screwed.

So Theron took Alistair, because the warrior simply refused to be left behind, the dog, and Leliana.

But the only reason he brought the red head along was because he still wasn't in the mood to listen to Morrigan and Alistair bicker.

As they entered deeper into the forest, and finally out of the camps earshot, Theron commented "Just so we all know, I think Zathrian's hiding something."

Alistair raised an eyebrow, "What makes you say that?"

Theron sucked in a breath, ready to explain how Zathrian knew way too much about this curse to simply have read a book, but then decided against it, and giving Zathrian the benefit of the doubt. Theron just shrugged, "I don't know, just got that feeling, you know?"

oOoOo

They'd spent the whole day tracking wolves, to find abso-fucking-lutely nothing. Frustrated, Alistair clicked the two stones together for the umpped-teen in a futile attempt to get a fire started. Angry, he sighed and cursed the flint under his breath.

Theron reached over and took the stones from him, and in one strike, had the fire blazing. "You alright there?" the elf asked, glancing over to Leliana, who was already asleep. Or pretending to be, he didn't really care either way, as long as she stayed quiet.

Alistair plopped down in front of the fire and sighed "Not really, not much of fan of the woods."

Cross legged, Theron sat across from Alistair, Rum, his mabari, resting his head on his knee. Theron rubbed behind his ears, "You didn't have to come." Theron said simply

Alistair just sighed in response.

The warrior just watched the elf as he stared into the flames. The carefree emotion that he had earlier that day slowly draining from his face, returning back into his suicidal-rage state. "So, Zathrian didn't seem to like you that much." he commented quickly. He had liked the side of Theron he saw today, and didn't want it to leave.

Theron looked up at him with elevated eyebrows, "That's because he doesn't."

"Why not?"

Theron thought for a moment, "You know, I don't know if it's that he just doesn't like me, or if he just hated my father so much that it got passed down to me." he admitted, though his and Tamlen's shenanigans against him probably didn't help much. Zathrian didn't have the patience of Marathari.

"Why didn't he like his father?" Alistair asked

"Uhm…" Theron said as he thought, even though it was about his parents, it was a story he didn't know well. "My father was the Keeper of my clan before Marathari, and mother was from Zathrian's clan." he explained "Zathrian was in love with my mother, but she loved my father, so she'd sneak out of camp to go see him, and, well, she obviously picked my dad."

Alistair smiled warmly, "What was your dad like?"

The elf dropped his eyes for a moment, "Actually, I never knew him. He was killed before I was born. But I hear he was nice, if a little strict. I probably wouldn't be anything like I am now, had I known him."

"Oh." Alistair said, "What about your mother?"

Theron gave him an apologetic look, "Sorry, I didn't know her either. I'm told that she only hung on long enough to give birth to me before disappearing in the moon light…"

Alistair gave him a look of concern "I'm sorry about your-"

"Don't be." Theron interrupted "I didn't know them, it might be cruel to say, but I don't really care about them."

Alistair gave a weak smile "It doesn't sound cruel at all. I understand that perfectly."

Theron's eyebrows knit together, "You understand….?"

Alistair nodded "Yeah, I never knew my parents either. Arl Eamon actually raised me, but there were rumors going around that I was his love child- not true, but they were still there. That's why I think the Arlessa didn't like me. She probably believed them herself… But eventually, Eamon had to send me off. So I was packed off to the nearest Chantry at age ten, and started my Templar training."

"_What a dick._" Theron muttered

"What?"

Theron looked at him for a moment, "I said: That's cruel." he lied. Didn't want Alistair to know that he was talking bad about his father figure there. "Did he come and visit you?"

"Yeah, but I never talked to him… So he just… stopped coming…" Alistair watched the flames sadly, "It was my fault though…"

"What!?" Theron demanded "How is the world was that your fault?"

Alistair looked at him in disbelief "I yelled at him when I left, then wouldn't talk to him when he visited-"

"Okay, wait, so you were, like, ten, right? If my mother sent me off to go live the church, I'd be damn pissed! There's no way I would talk to her! You were a kid, all you wanted was love, and yet you got passed off to new homes all the time! You had every right to yell and then keep your silence! And if Eamon didn't understand, then fuck him!" Theron fumed "Alistair, that man didn't deserve your love, and he shouldn't have been surprised when you stopped giving it."

Alistair jaw nearly hit the ground, Theron was defending him?

Theron suddenly realized what he said, and then relaxed back into his sitting position. "Well, that's what I think anyway…" he trailed off lamely

The warrior just stared at him, and Theron felt his cheeks heat up. This was awkward.

After what seemed like an eternity, Alistair finally said "Thank you."

Surprised, Theron looked up at him, "…For what?"

"Just for… Saying that. Nobody's ever even listened to me before… Let alone defend me from my own memories…" Alistair said quietly

Theron's eyebrows were up with the clouds, "Uh, yeah. Anytime, Alistair." Theron replied, just as quiet.

And from her bedroll a few feet away, Leliana smiled with impish to herself.


	13. Seriously?

When Theron awoke, just short of two hours had passed. It would seem that he couldn't sleep more than a couple of hours lately. He was laying face down on his bed roll, a cool breeze lacing itself through his dark hair, and over the bandages that wrapped around his torso. He glanced at his pillow, where a slight absorbed puddle was formed just around his eyes, meaning he hadn't just been crying in his dream. He was completely exhausted, but he knew there was no way in hell he'd be getting back to sleep. Tamlen seemed to be relentless in haunting his dreams, he almost hoped for the Darkspawn nightmares that Alistair spoke about. He sighed sadly, and pushed himself up into a stiff cross-legged sitting position.

"Oh, you've still got another hour before you take watch." Leliana said, looking up from the dimming fire, and at the elf. It seemed like he had just went to sleep. Even then, he kicked and cried out in his slumber…

Theron shook his head, "No, I won't be able to get to sleep anyways." he admitted, "If you want, I'll just take your shift, you can go back to sleep."

Leliana gave him a warm smile, "That's alright! Why don't we finish it together?" she asked

Theron was tempted to decline simply shove his face back into the pillow, was that rude in human culture?

Probably.

He shifted closer to the fire, dragging the blanket with him. "Sure." he said quietly, he should probably give her a chance before he writes her off as "annoying".

Her smile widened, "Great!" she replied, and scooted closer to him. Theron made absolutely no effort to start a conversation, and for a while, they just sat in silence.

"Cold night…" Leliana said, hoping to start a conversation.

All she got was a nod.

"So, you're Dalish right?"

Theron looked at her strange, "What gave it away?" he asked sarcastically

She giggled "Oh, I don't know, you just have that look about you."

They fell into another silence. Theron wasn't much of a conversationalist ever since he'd met Duncan. Leliana watched him, his eyebrows were scrunched together and his lips frowned. Like he was constantly thinking of a bad memory. It almost seemed as if his face was a permanent scowl.

"If you don't mind me asking… Why do you always look so mad?" she asked

Theron almost snapped at her, but caught himself at the last moment. "Because the world is a cruel place that doesn't hesitate to rip everything you love away from you." He replied "And because when your best friend disappears, instead of letting you at least look for him, you're dragged off to some 'legendary order'." He put air quotes around the words "Without so much as a **theory** of where he went. Then, all the other members of the so-call order go off and **die **leaving you fight the fucking Blight with the other newest recruit. Basically saying 'Goodbye! Good luck! Don't die!' and flipping you off as they laugh from the Beyond." Theron ranted, Gods, he was so pissed at this whole situation.

"No! Actually, it's like 'here drink this blood! Now go save Ferelden! Don't worry, it's easy! You just gotta kill a big-ass dragon that has an army of Darkspawn behind it!'" Theron crossed his arms over his chest "It's complete bullshit. That's what it is." furious, he finally finished his rage outburst

Leliana had no idea what this was about blood, but decided not to ask. "Maybe it's fate. Destiny!"

"Fate!" Theron scoffed "More like one shit thing after another."

"You know, if you only for the bad in something, then that's all you're going to find." Leliana argued

"Yeah," Theron agreed "but when's there's only bad to be found-"

"There's always good to be found." she interrupted "Theron, it may seem like a bad thing now, but I truly think that you are meant to do something good. The Maker would not have brought you here if He didn't think so!"

Theron stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "I used to be optimist like you…" he sighed again, this time in defeat "But…" he thought "I don't know. Life just sucks too much right now to be looking on the bright side, you know?"

She stared at him for a moment, "Yes…" she replied quietly, "I know…"

oOoOo

Theron cracked his neck in pure boredom, another six hours of tracking only to find absolutely nothing. Though the elf had felt like they were being watched. Constantly.

"Anything?" Alistair called up to the elf who was perched high in a tree.

The elf took one more look from his branch before expertly dropping down the ground. "Nope." he replied. Alistair groaned, and Theron looked in the only direction they hadn't gone yet, "C'mon, let's go east now." he began to lead the way.

"Argh… How hard could it be to find a bunch of werewolves!?" Alistair moaned, he was not a forest kind of guy. All the bugs, snakes and apparently werewolves was not his thing.

"I don't know," Theron replied "they're obviously smarter than people and must know how to hide their tracks well."

"Well, damn them for being so smart." Alistair complained

Theron looked back at the warrior and nearly smiled, he looked back in front of him just in time to see a giant brown blur tackling into him. It picked him up and began sprinting away with the elf slung over his shoulder.

"Theron!" Alistair called after him, drawing his sword and dashing after him.

Leliana cocked an arrow and sent it flying towards the creature that held Theron as easily as a rag doll. It whizzed over its shoulder and the creature made a 90 degree turn and disappeared from view of the rest of the party. Theron thrashed around, trying to get this thing to drop him, only to be rewarded with a harsh "You think you can kill us!?"

Theron paused, but only for a moment, this thing could talk?!

The rogue lashed out an elbow into the base of the things neck, it cried out and threw Theron to the dirt. He hit the ground with such force that the wind was knocked out of him, the creature was on top of him in a moment, and when he felt the massive teeth tear into his shoulder, he couldn't even scream.

He sucked in a deep breath and let loose a blood curtailing scream, making sure that his companions knew where he was, then thrashed under the weight of the creature. He pulled his arm free, though it cost him some skin, and punch the thing.

It yelped, but bit deeper into his right shoulder, and Theron could feel the involuntary tears running down his face as he cried out in pain. He punch it again and again with as much force as he could muster, and it finally let go him, bouncing back a few feet away from the elf.

Theron was on his own feet in a second, drawing a blade with his left hand, seeming how he couldn't move his right at the moment.

The elf finally got a good look at his attacker, it was very wolf-ish, except it stood on two legs, and had the build of a very muscular man. The eye that Theron had punched repeatedly was bleeding a great deal, and the blood dripped down into its mouth as it snarled

"You are not welcome here!" it hissed

Theron held up a defensive blade, his right shoulder was literally killing him and he was slowly losing feeling in it. "This is my home!" he replied "What are you?"

Keeping the snarl "What does it look like!?" it demanded

Had Theron not been in so much pain, he would have made a snide comment.

"You're damned Keeper, Zathrian, did this to me and so many others!"

Theron shook his head, "I may be Dalish, but Zathrian is not my Keeper. I am not loyal to him!" Theron argued, praying that this thing didn't decide to attack him again. He was good with his off hand, but not so amazing to be able to fend off a werewolf with it.

It tilted its head, considering what the elf had said

"I only want to talk, I want to help you undo this curse." Theron pleaded, his arm he could no longer feel, but his shoulder was burning with the heat of a thousand suns. "Please, I just want to help! Tell me how this happened."

Rum tore into clearing, putting himself in between the wolf and his master, teeth bared, growling at the beast, and slowly inching foward. "Rum, stay!" Theron demanded, the marbari did as it was told, but did not abandon his offensive stance. Theron looked back to the werewolf "What's your name?"

There was a long hesitation before the werewolf hissed out "Swiftrunner."

Theron stared him down, "I'm Theron, and I want to parlay." he stated

Swiftrunner growled at him, "No you do not! You wish to find Witherfang and kill him! I shall not let that happen!"

Theron did something then that surprised himself, very slowly, he put down the sword that he held down on the ground. Then drew his another one, and place it on the ground next to the first. He also did this with his bow, arrows, knifes, and poisons. Once they all laid in a neat pile, he said to his dog, "Rum, get out of here, and go find Alistair."

The mabari jerked his head back to look at the elf, confused. The elf pointed with his good arm back the way they came, "Go!" he demanded. The war hound hesitated, but followed the order and trotted dumbly back the way he came.

Theron looked back to the werewolf, raising the only hand he could move in a gesture of surrender, and said "There, now I'm unarmed and have no protection."

Swiftrunner glared at him, "You truly want to parlay?" he growled out

"Yes." Theron replied "Take me to your leader."


	14. Blood! Blood everywhere!

"The Lady will heal your wounds once we reach her." Swiftrunner rasped out to Theron who was following the walking furball. He certainly hoped she would, his arm was literally killing him. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing- he would rub on the occasional tree, leaving a roaring, bloody trail for Alistair to follow. But the loss of blood was really starting to screw with his vision and balance, he nearly swayed with the wind.

The werewolf looked over to the wobbly elf with a raised eyebrow. "I can carry you, if you wish." he scratched out. "It would be quicker…"

Theron focused on the least transparent Swiftrunner, and replied "No, I can make it… Thank you." as soon as he finished the sentence, his feet were out from under him and his head spiraled to the ground, and he realized just how comfortable the dirt was. "You know what? I'm just going to take a short nap, okay?" he said as the world faded into darkness.

oOoOo

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Alistair was freaking out. Not only had Theron been carried off by a giant poop stain or of a blur, but his dog had came back with his tail between his legs, and **now **he just stumbled upon the all of the elf's combat gear stacked in a neat pile covered in blood!

Alistair, Leliana and Rum searched the clearing, there was lots of blood soaking into the ground next to the Theron gear, meaning the elf had probably- well, obviously been attacked. Alistair could see Theron's head being torn from his shoulders by a powerful jaw, or an arm being ripped from its joint, or- His stomach became sick, he didn't just lose the only other Warden to help him stop the Blight, did he?

Maker, he hoped not.

Rum woofed, and pointed. Alistair looked to the hound who was in point at a tree that shined a dark red. Alistair sprinted up to it, a bloody hand print was plastered on it, along with an arrow pointing south. That was definitely the elf's blood, for some reason, Theron's blood was a good four shades darker than other people's, making it very hard to mistake. After calling to Leliana, the warrior started running in the direction the arrow lead, but then stopped mid step, and headed back to the clearing.

"What are you doing? Theron's in trouble! We have to go!" Leliana stated, impatient. It's not exactly like she could just leave the warrior with werewolves on the loose! They had to stay together.

"Yeah, but if we- **when **we find him, he's going to want his stuff!" Alistair replied, strapping on all of Theron's equipment, then sprinting back in the directions of bloody trees.

Alistair moved as fast as he could, slowing only slightly to get a quick look at the next blood-stained tree. Eventually though, the trees stopped gleaming red, and Alistair came to another bloody pile slowly sinking into the ground. The good news was that it was fresh, the bad news was that there was no way the elf could lose this much blood. He was probably passed out somewhere, if not dead.

Maker, he hoped he wasn't dead.

oOoOo

Theron's eye fluttered open, it was extremely fuzzy, but he could've sworn he was looking at the underside of a pair of green bare breasts. He blinked a few times before his vision finally focused.

…_Yup. Definitely, a pair of green boobs. _Theron thought, then realized just what he had thought, and shot himself up. He groaned at the sudden pain that mercilessly shot through his right shoulder and arm as he moved.

"Careful…" a soft voice cooed, and the owner pushed his head just as softly back into her lap. "You are not ready to move yet. I apologize, when I asked Swiftrunner to bring you here, I had no idea he'd be so harsh about it."

Theron looked passed the surprisingly distracting naked breasts that sat just a few inches above him, and to the face of the woman who spoke. Her skin was a light shade of green, with black locks that spilled over her shoulders and down to her waist, with eyes that were as dark as a moonless night. For probably being a demon, she was very beautiful.

"…Who…?" was the only thing the elf was able to groan out, he was having a hard time finding his voice. Whether it was due to the stunning woman above him, or to the immense pain his shoulder was suffering, he had no idea. But he hoped for the latter.

"I am the Lady of the Forest." she brushed a light hand over his face, and Theron realized that her hand was literally vines and tree branches that merely acted as a hand would.

Theron was completely enraptured as he watched a flower bloom on the woman's arm, wilt, and then fade away, the only trace that it was ever there, was a single peddle that gracefully feel to the ground. "I have…. a serious question…" Theron said slowly

The Lady tilted her head, and gently brushed the hair off of his forehead "I will answer to the best of my ability." she replied

"Am I dead?" Theron asked

She smiled warmly, "No, my dear man, you are not dead. Though you were not far from it when Swiftrunner brought you to me."

"Ah…" Theron replied "Shame…"

Confusion clouded her eyes, but she decided it wise not to ask.

"Are my companions okay?" Theron asked

She smiled, "Yes, they fair well."

oOoOo

"JUST TELL ME WHICH WAY THE DAMN WOLF WENT!" Alistair screamed at the hermit. Theron was probably dead, and the only man who saw where he went was a crazy old demented man who talked in circles!

"A question for a question! An answer for an answer!" The hermit replied

Frustrated, Alistair growled "Fine! Ask your damn question!"

The hermit hummed… "…What! Is your name?"

Alistair thought he was going to strangle the damn loony. "Al-i-stair." He said as calmly as could, which, given the circumstances, wasn't very calm at all.

"Huh." The hermit huffed "How boring! BUT! You answered mine, and I'll answer yours! What's your question!?"

"Where did the damn wolf take my damn elf?" Alistair asked, anger clinging to his words. He didn't usually act like this, there were better ways to get information out of people, but right now, he had no time for the roving's stupid game!

"To the secret cave in the woods!" He replied, as if that should've been obvious.

"Where is this cave?" Alistair demanded

The hermit gave a sly smile "Isn't it my turn to ask a question?"

Alistair glared at him. "Son. Of a. Bitch."

oOoOo

Lots of breaks in this chapter, I apologize for that! But it's hard to write for two different views, especially when they aren't together….

Guys. I love the hermit.

Any requests, concerns, or general annoyances with it so far? I know I tend to leave out and repeat words… But! I'd be glad to address whatever is bothering you! Or an idea you have! :D

Thanks for sticking with me this far guys! It really means a lot to me!

(This is a lot more fun to do! Writing a continuous story like this! I like it more than the series of one-shots I usually do!)


	15. Who's Your Hero?

So I went back a couple (one?) chapters and realized I forgot to mention that Theron also left his backpack in that neat bloody pile of junk that Alistair found!

(Okay, I just barely thought of it while writing this chapter! But let's just pretend!)

oOoOo

Theron laid with his eyes closed, basking in the numbness of his arm. He didn't have a clue what the Lady was doing to his arm at the moment, but at least she was kind enough to attempt to knock him out first. Though she had used her strongest anesthetic, Theron was still aware of everything going on around him, although he pretended to be asleep for her sake. While he was growing up, there were a great many trees that he fell out of, and many open wounds, and eventually his body had gained a resistance to the drugs and herbs he was treated with.

There were vines that grew from the ground of the courtyard they were in, and wrapped gently around Theron's entire body, tying him to the ground, and giving him their life. The Lady often checked his breathing, and wiped the sweat from his brow. He could feel his wounds closing, due to the magic from the Lady.

She was using Nature Magic, it was something Theron didn't truly understand. He just remembered Merrill magically growing vines for them to swing from. Even to this day, he still thought it was one of the most amazing things he had ever seen.

But he hadn't done anything for her, and yet she saved his life. Though he was fully aware that this might have been a part of her whole plan. To have one of her minions nearly kill him so she could step in and be the heroine, gaining his gratitude and twisting him around her finger.

But right now, he didn't give a damn about that.

Because right now, though he would never admit it, he was glad to be alive.

"Another serious question…" Theron whispered, breaking his feigned sleep, and opening his eyes to look at the blurry clear skies above him.

The Lady reached out and touched a vine that was snaking up his cheek, and it retreated down to his chest. "What is it?" she asked quietly

"Why did you save me? You know why I'm here…"

Her lips formed a small line, "It's because I hoped you would listen. Zathrian is not the man you believe him to be."

Theron tried to smirk, but all he accomplished was an exhale from his nose that was a little more forceful than normal. "My Lady, you could tell me he was The Dread Wolf, and I wouldn't doubt you for a second."

The Lady stared at him for a moment, then smiled "You are truly a unique man. I'm glad it was you that Swiftrunner brought to me."

"Yeah…" Theron agreed "Too bad he tried to kill me first."

oOoOo

Alistair rubbed at a migraine that was forming in his temples. Angry, he sighed "I have one about this long." he said, bringing his hands about a foot apart from each other.

The hermit's eyes lit right up, "Really!? No, you're lying!"

Alistair shook his head "No I'm not! I swear on my mother's grave!"

The recluse's smirked "Well, color me pickle!" Alistair raised an eyebrow, color him pickle? "I didn't even know they came in that size!"

"Yes, it's really quite impressive, you should see me in action." Alistair said impatiently "Now it's my turn. Can I have your acorn to use it to get through this magic fog that you spoke of before?"

The hermit stroked his bread that was full of leaves and bark "Nope!" He said bluntly, but with a big smile on his face

"What? Why not!?" Alistair demanded

"It's my turn to ask a question!" The hermit whined, and stomped his feet upon the ground like a five year old who had just been denied the last slice of cake.

Alistair felt his rage growing, "Alistair, I know what you're thinking, but we need him." Leliana whispered quickly

As much as he hated it, he knew she was right. So he gestured for the hermit to continue.

He smiled mockingly, "Who's your hero!?"

"A man named Duncan." Alistair snapped "Could I trade you something for the acorn?"

The hermit stroked at his beard, "Yes! But it depends on what you want to trade!"

Alistair instantly began rummaging through his backpack, pulling out anything he was willing to part with. A pair of socks, an extra dagger, cheese wrapped in cloth- though his heart nearly broke when he offered it. He nearly emptied his pack to the hermit, but the bearded man wasn't interested in any of it. Alistair turned to Leliana with pleading eyes, and she too, began to empty her pack. Only to be met with the same answer.

No.

Alistair and Leliana stared at each other and had a silent conversation.

_Theron's things. _Leliana said wordlessly

_He'll kill us. _Alistair replied

_He may already be dead!_

_What if we accidentally trade something that's very important to him!? _Alistair argued

_More important than his life!? _Leliana retorted

_FINE! _Alistair didn't say, and began to rummage through the elf's pack. He pulled out a leather bound book that was handwritten. He opened it up to see what it was, but he didn't recognize the language. He began to flip through pages, wondering if it was Theron's handwriting, and if this was his journal or something.

The hermit ripped the book from Alistair's hands "Aha! Yes, yes, yes! This will do nicely! There's nothing better than a little paper instead of leaves!" he cried out in joy

"Wait a second-" Alistair began, but Leliana clamped a hand over his mouth

"Thank you, now about that acorn?" She asked

oOoOo

"Witherfang… They have… the fog…" Theron heard through the embrace of sleep. He was now awake from a thankfully dreamless sleep, but he did not open his eyes.

"Do they seek trouble?" The Lady asked

"They seek blood." A voiced hissed that Theron knew was Swiftrunner.

He would know that asshole's snarl anywhere.

"This is not going to end well…" The Lady replied solemnly

Theron cracked open an eye, just in time to watch The Lady transform into a great, white wolf. She charged out of the courtyard, and to the so-called fog Theron assumed. Swiftrunner looked over to him, and Theron felt his heart stop, there was literally nothing he could do if the wolf decided to attack him now. But there was really no way that Swiftrunner knew that Theron had saw, the elf only opened one eye a sliver. He couldn't know that he saw… Right?

Theron closed his eye as Swiftrunner walked to stand over the elf, his snout pressing against Theron nose. The elf pretended to still be asleep, as the wolf growled at him, "I will not hesitate to kill your friends if they attack me first." he said with a certain hate dangling from his words.

Theron didn't do anything, simply continued his even breaths as the wolf scowled above him. There was a distant howl, and Theron no longer felt the wolf's breath upon his face, and heard his heavy paws sprint across courtyard.

Theron's eyes shot open, and he began thrashing under the vines, tearing them from place as he scrambled to get up. His injuries could wait, he had lives he needed to protect.


	16. Heart Soup

You guys are AMAZING!  
_**YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!**_ I mean, really! You people are so insightful and helpful! And there were so MANY OF THEM! All of them insanely useful!

You guys are the best!

I apologize with the delay for this chapter, but between not know what Zathrian did, my five page history and english reports, the purchase of Assassin's Creed III and the Infamous series for my PS3…

Well, let's just say my History and English grades funerals are next Tuesday…

oOoOo

Snarls echoed their way down the hall that Theron was making his way down. His heart was pounding in his chest, he couldn't even see straight and yet he was stumbling as fast as he could towards the sound of growling. _Gods damn those idiots! _He screamed in his head. _I swear to the Gods above that if that damn wolf so much as TOUCHES one of my party members, I will rip his heart from his chest, boil it, and feed it to his damn family!_

He threw open the door that led to the outside "STOP!" he screeched

Everyone turned to look at the shrieking elf, and Theron's double vision stopped plaguing him, but only for a moment. The elf's shoulders sagged in disbelief as he looked upon the non-violent parties before him.

"Theron!" Alistair exclaimed "You're alive!"

After a long moment of silence, followed by Theron picking up his jaw from the dirt, he replied "Well, duh. You didn't think a bunch of wussy werewolves could kill me, did you?" with feigned confidence

Rum took the opportunity to sprint happily up to his master, and nuzzle his hand. The elf pushed the dog's nose away, but Rum was not to be discouraged. He helped guide the elf further down the path, joining the Lady with Swiftrunner, and Alistair with Leliana, who seemed to be having a calm discussion with The Lady.

Theron looked at Alistair, completely confused, as the warrior stared at him with a huge smile on his face. "You're… not fighting?" Theron asked dumbly

Alistair laughed, "No, we're not fighting. The Lady said that you were alive, and now seeing you here… I guess that confirms it."

Theron felt his rage growing as he sent a glare over to Swiftrunner. "_You. Dick._" he spat. It would seem that Swiftrunner had told him that he was going to kill his parties just to see if the elf would do anything about it.

Swiftrunner raise an all too innocent eyebrow, "What was that?"

Theron tried to cross his arms, but he still couldn't seem move his right arm. Theron twisted his left arm around his right, and managed to cross his arms that way. "Nothing." he grumbled

"Theron." The Lady called, and the elf looked at her while rubbing at one of his eyes, Creators, he thought he was tired **while **attached to the vines. He couldn't help the wave of drowsiness that suddenly consumed him. "You need to know the whole story of why we came to be."

Theron held his breath and waited for the urge to yawn to pass him by, "Yeah," he agreed, sleep attaching itself to his words, "why exactly are there werewolves running about?"

"It's thanks to Zathrian." Swiftrunner snarled

"How surprising." Theron muttered

"Zathrian summoned our Lady after his children were attacked by humans."

Theron raised an eyebrow, "Wait a second, I thought Zathrian had no children?"

The Lady shook her head "Zathrian is not as young as he appears to be. He is actually closer to the age of three hundred."

"How is that possible?" an astonished Alistair asked

"When Zathrian summoned me, he connected his very own life to mine." She explained

"I thought that was an old legend…" Theron thought out loud with a stifled yawn, but when all eyes turned to him he suddenly realized that he hadn't simply thought it. "I remember when I young, our story teller told of a man whose children were attacked by humans, they killed his son, but raped his daughter. She turned out to be with child and killed herself, so the father summoned a Forest Spirit and attached her to himself and sought revenge. The spirit took out revenge and bit those who wronged him."

The Lady nodded "It is as you say."

"So, if that's Zathrian, then wouldn't he just have to release you from your bind to end the curse?" Leliana asked

The Lady nodded, "But if you were to do as he asked, to simply bring him the heart, then it would only cure a select few, and the curse would still be left to feaster."

"Okay, so let's go back and talk to Zathrian." Theron said

"Sounds like the right idea to me." Alistair agreed

The Lady and Swiftrunner looked at the group, completely astonished, The Lady smiled "Thank you…" She nearly whispered

Theron grinned "No problem. Let's go"


	17. Glad I Didn't Kill You

Hey guys, I don't know if you realized or not but I switched out chapter sixteen for an ACTUAL chapter :D

And sorry for that, it's like I didn't know what Zathrian did and that chapter was never a scenario in my head before I started writing. Like every chapter so far first lived in my thoughts and then I usually drew them first. Writing's sort of a new thing for me and it's kinda hard to keep with.

BUT enjoy another chapter of Theron making an ass out of himself!

oOoOo

Theron stared skeptically at Zathrian as the Keeper glared right back at him, neither of them saying a word. If Theron could have crossed his arms without looking like a complete ass, he would have. "Zathrian." The rogue said evenly, breaking the silence.

"Theron." Zathrian replied "May I ask why you're leaving the ruin?"

"You may, but I won't answer, at least not yet."

The Keeper raised an eyebrow, never in his life had someone treated him with such disrespect, even with the younger elf's pranks and tricks, he had always made some form of apology. "I see… Then what are you doing?"

"I might ask you the same thing. How come you're not with your clan? You know, keeping them." Theron asked snidely

A slight hesitation from Zathrian's words as he took the time to stare questionably at Theron, "I came to see if you were alright." he said

"Bullshit." Theron instantly replied, and Zathrian's jaw nearly fell to the ground, but the dark haired elf was having none of his shit today. "You came to make sure I got the heart, did you not?"

Zathrian squinted his eyes at Theron "All right, you win. I did, do you have it?"

Theron gave a lopsided grin "Nope." he replied lightly

Zathrian's features got stuck somewhere between anger and disbelief, "Then **why **are you leaving the ruin?!" he demanded

"To come talk you, you see, The Lady of the Forest told me the most interesting story today." Theron looked at him and felt his contentment rising as he saw a crack in Zathrian's stone cold expression. "Would you like to hear it?"

"No." Zathrian spat

"Good, because it's awfully long…" Theron said as he brushed at some dirt that stuck to his bloodied and ripped jacket, "It would take about three hundred years to complete, if I were to regail you with **every **detail." Theron looked him straight in the eye and gave him a sly smile.

Rage consumed Zathrian, but he quickly buried it "You know that she actually **is **Witherfang, don't you?"

"I figured as much." Theron said, matter of factually

"Then **why **in the name of the Creators are you helping her!?" The Keeper demanded

"Since it's because of **you **that this whole thing started in the first place." Theron replied calmly "If you hadn't of summoned her for vengeance-"

"YOU ARE NOT A FATHER!" Zathrian interrupted, screaming "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HOLD YOUR DYING CHILD IN YOUR ARMS AS YOU KNOW YOUR MAGIC IS COMPLETELY USELESS IN TRYING TO SAVE HIM!" Zathrian stomped towards Theron, grabbing the front of his jacket and pulling Zathrian's red face mere inches away from Theron's "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE YOUR DAUGHTER KILL HERSELF AFTER BEING BEATEN AND RAPED!" Zathrian screeched, a vein in his neck at forehead nearly exploded from his skin as he did so. "TO KNOW THAT THOSE DAMNED SHEMLEMS HAD GOTTEN HER PREGANAUGHT, AND CAUSED HER DEATH!"

Theron stared at him calmly, "No, I don't, and I hope to never know. But Zathrian, who's paying for that now? You're children pass away, what, three hundred years ago? The werewolves that are cursed now are not the ones that killed them."

"Perhaps not. But they are the ones that killed your mother." Zathrian said, malice dripping from his words, Theron kept a neutral face on, but desperately wanted to know more, and he silently prayed the Keeper's rant was not over. "They knew I loved her, so they tried to kill her, and nearly succeeded had your father not intervened." He released Theron's jacket, spun on his heel and began to pace around, "She's dead, because of them!"

"That's right, Zathrian." Theron replied dangerously calm, though he felt as if he had just been stabbed through the gut, he knew he couldn't lose control of this situation. The Keeper looked up to him, confused at his words. "She's. Dead. There is **nothing** you, me or anyone can do to change that. All of this anger and vengeance that you have stored away and harbored for all these years is only hurting you. But now you've let your pride and your anger blur your vision, and you can't see that if you don't end this curse, now and today, it will **never **stop, and you won't be the only one who's hurt by it. You won't be the only one who's destroyed by it."

Zathrian stared at him, trying to comprehend what he had just said as uninvited tears began to swell in his eyes. "How can you… How can you say that?" He pleaded "She was your mother, those… **Shemlens **took her away from you and yet you- you would save the ones that caused her death!?"

"Zathrian, you can't blame an entire race for something only a few did." Theron replied

This was the first time that Alistair had seen the compassion that Duncan had mentioned in his letter. He almost couldn't believe the words that had escaped from Theron's lips, they were said with such sincerity that Alistair was sure the most skeptic man on the planet could hear them and be swayed by them. He looked to Theron and saw the pain that swirled in his eyes, and realized that he just might have talked himself into forgiving the Grey Wardens for what they had done to him. Alistair certainly hoped so.

The Keeper dropped his eyes and considered Theron's words. He slowly nodded, "You… are right." He locked eyes with Theron "Let's end this… I've lived far too long, and hurt far too many…"

oOoOo

The Lady couldn't believe her eyes, Theron had plodded in with Zathrian not far behind, and had even agreed to end this curse without a fight. As Zathrian and The Lady took their places directly across from each other, Swiftrunner and the other werewolves had reached out for one last touch of the woman that had saved them countless times. Swiftrunner didn't seem to be the type, but Theron could have sworn that he saw a tear. When Theron turned to look at Zathrian, he couldn't help the sob that caught in his throat and the tears that formed, Alistair noticed and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Sure, Zathrian may have been a bastard to Theron, but he was still the closest thing that the rogue had to a father.

Zathrian turned to look at the younger elf, giving a small smile he opened his arms. Theron didn't hesitate, and nearly leapt into the embrace. Theron buried his face in Zathrian's shoulder "I'm sorry…" he murmured

Zathrian ran a comforting hand through Theron's hair, "You've done nothing wrong, child." he replied, as he pulled away from the embrace just far enough to grab Theron's chin and make the boy look him in the eye. Zathrian smiled again and sighed "You look just like your father, but act like your mother…"

Theron gave a small laugh, "I hope that's a good thing." he teased

Zathrian's smile widened "Yes, that is a very good thing." he tapped Theron's nose with the tip of his finger "Now, I want you to stay out of trouble, all right?"

Theron wiped his eyes, "That would be boring," he replied

Zathrian flicked the younger elf's nose, how was it that he could be so much like a woman he had never known? "Be good Theron, or I swear I will haunt you from my grave." Zathrian joked

Theron smiled down at his feet for a moment, "I know… I've always been an ass to you, but… I love you."

Zathrian smiled at him "I love you too…" he replied "Come on now, we've got a curse to end.

Theron gave him a smile and one last hug, before returning to Alistair's side. As Zathrian began the spell, Theron couldn't bring himself to watch and turn away. There was a strong gust of wind that flew past Theron, his companions and the werewolves along with a blinding light. When Theron turned back to the scene, he saw that Zathrian was no more. He was simply a pile of ash that blew away in another magical gust of wind. The young elf was sad, and yet strangely relieved. Because of his sacrifice, others could go on living a normal life.

"I… cannot thank you enough."

Theron turned to the voice and saw over a dozen naked humans, standing gathered in a group. They were hugging and rejoicing, examining their new features that no longer consisted of fur and claws. Though their eyes had stayed the same bright yellow, they shouldn't have had any problem blending in with the locals of any town.

A man with a bruised face and scared eye walked up and pulled Theron into a tight hug, nearly squeezing all the air out of him.

"Choking, not breathing, choking!" Theron managed to gasp, it seemed even without the body of a wolf, Swiftrunner still possessed all that strength.

He pulled back but held onto Theron by the shoulders, "Well, I'm glad I didn't kill you." he said with a smile

Theron smiled back, "Yeah, that would've bad."

"Sorry about your arm…"

Theron gave him a lopsided smile, "Hey, don't worry about. I'm just glad you're all human again."

Swiftrunner turned back to the pack of people behind him, then to Theron "We wouldn't be if not for you."

"What are you going to do now?"

Swiftrunner thought for a moment, "You know, I don't have any idea." he grinned "Probably start with getting some clothes, though."

"That would be a good start!" Theron laughed

Swiftrunner looked him in the eyes "We can never repay you…"

Theron waved his hand "I don't need you too, just stay safe, all right?"

Swiftrunner looked at him relieved, and clapped him on the shoulder. "You're all right… for an elf." he said with a grin

"Yeah, you're not bad yourself… you know, for a human." Theron replied with a tease.

Swiftrunner thanked him again and again before finally running off with the other humans that had once been werewolves.

Theron looked back to his companions, "Well, let's go check on then clan then, and see if can make use of this treaty." he said with a smile

Alistair stared after him as he walked back towards the entrance of the hall they were in, apparently Theron hadn't been telling the whole truth when he said Zathrian didn't like him much. In fact, it kind of seemed like Theron treated him like a father. Alistair was the first to understand when it came to looking to others for fatherly acceptance.

Once back outside, Theron began to rummage through his pack for a make shift sling that he could use to hold his dead arm, when he noticed something was missing. He knit his eyebrows, and turned to Alistair "Hey, there was a book in here, do you know where it went?"

Alistair's eyebrows shot up and he held his breath, "Uhm, about that…"

The warrior watched as the elf looked at him confused, then the anger set in. "What the hell. Happened. To. My. Book."

Alistair knew he shouldn't have touched the elf's stuff.


	18. Positive?

(Sigh.) Do you guys know how frustrating it is to think of something amazing for a story and yet not be able to use it until, like, you've written forty other chapters before hand?

Because I hate it.

BUT I WILL ABOLUTELY ADORE GOING TO HAVEN!

oOoOo

Theron stomped his way through the thick underbrush of the forest, with the others following close behind. "A hermit!" he nearly shouted, "You traded my stuff to a hermit!" he waved his only working arm above his head in frustration

"We didn't know where you were-" Leliana started

"So you began to pawn my stuff!?" Theron demanded "**Great **companions you guys are!"He began to mock Leliana's voice "Oh, he'll never notice!" Then he switched to Alistair's "You're right, we should just trade his things to a nasty old hermit who will probably use his book as toilet paper!"

"Oh, bug off! It wasn't like that! He was the only one who had seen where you went, and wanted something in return for that information." Alistair explained

"Okay, but I have, like, five books in here!" Theron gestured to his backpack "Why'd you pick that one?"

Alistair shrugged, "It was just the first one that I grabbed…"

Frustrated, Theron sighed. He couldn't really blame them, they had used the resources they had to look for… him. That thought suddenly struck him, they had gone out of their way to find him, and make sure he was okay. He looked at the two of them, the question obvious in his features.

Alistair raised his eyebrows, "What is it?" he asked

"You… How come you two were so determined to find me?" Theron replied

The warrior looked at him as if that answer should have been obvious. "To make sure you were all right, of course."

Theron opened his mouth to ask another question, but then shut it. They wanted to make sure that he was all right because they just need him to help fight the Blight. The elf scolded himself for being so naïve, there was no way in the Beyond these humans wanted him for anything else…

oOoOo

Theron glanced around the empty camp site, "You're… **sure **this is where he was?" he asked

Alistair nodded, "I'm sure."

"Positive?"

Alistair raised an eyebrow at him "I'm…Positive."

"Are you certain?"

"Y-Yes? I'm quite certain."

"Absolute?"

Alistair studied him for a moment, and the elf raised all too innocent eyebrows in response. Wait a minute, was it possible that this elf… was joking!? Alistair grinned "I'm positively, absolutely **certain** that I'm sure."

Theron smiled at him, and the warrior grinned right back at him, but then Theron's eyes dropped to the grassy floor and Alistair could only watch helplessly as his smile drained slowly off his face. Alistair wasn't quite sure what exactly had happened to Theron that made him this angry and sad, only that it had something to do with his best friend, but he knew something for sure, it must have been quite awful…

Suddenly Theron snapped his head up, staring at tree, as soon as Alistair was about to ask what exactly he was looking for, the old hermit appeared right were Theron had been looking. Theron sighed in relief, "Hello!" he greeted as he walked up to the old bearded man

The hermit let lose a mad cackle that caused Theron to throw a look to Alistair that simply said "Seriously?" and Alistair shrugged in response

The elf turned back to the hermit, "Uh, well, it's come to my attention that you've recently acquired a book, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in trading for it-"

"NOPE!" The hermit hooted "It's mine! You hear me!? MINE!"

Theron looked back at his companions, his eyes as wide as they could be, and the two humans just shrugged at him. The rogue reached into his pack, and pulled out a thick book, "But look here, this one is three times the length, there's more to read… or more to wipe with." Theron offered, it was an old history book filled with many stories that dated back to the days of Arlathan, but it wasn't that important, it was a very common book.

The hermit eyed Theron suspiciously, he scratched at his beard. "Fine! You've talked me into it!" he screeched and disappeared from sight for a moment before returning with the book that Alistair had originally traded. The elf sighed in relief, and traded his book on Elven history for the smaller book. He flipped through the pages, and found that a few from the end of it had been torn out, but that mattered little, the book was only half way filled and thankfully the missing pages were blank. He traced his fingers over the familiar leather cover, and the engraved name…

_Tamlen Elenar._

oOoOo

For those of you who are wondering, no, that isn't Tamlen's actual last name. He doesn't have one, so I gave him one :)


	19. Cheeky Bastards

Merrill watched from afar as her best friend argued with the Keeper and the two Grey Wardens that had entered their camp a few days ago. Theron looked so furious, it was completely out character for him. She couldn't even remember the last time Theron had gotten mad… While her best friend was busy arguing with the older Grey Warden, the Keeper looked over to her, and mouthed "_Pack his things…_" Merrill could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she ducked into Theron's tent, neatly packing his stuff into his travel pack. First Tamlen disappeared and now Theron was being sent away? This was madness!

Theron torn into the tent a moment later, cursing loudly. Their eyes met, Theron stopped in his tracks and Merrill clutched the bag to her chest. The rage in her best friend's eyes softened as he saw the tears that ran down her cheeks. He opened his arms and she didn't hesitate to run the small distance to him.

"Is… Is he dead?" she asked in a voice that Theron only barely caught.

He held her tighter as he searched for the right words, "…I…" he what? He didn't have a clue whether Tamlen was all right or not. "That's not possible." he said with confidence, and Merrill snapped her head up to meet his dark brown eyes with her impossible green ones. He gave her a reassuring smile, "Come on, you know Tamlen, nothing can kill him."

Despite how awful she was feeling at the moment, she allowed herself to give a small laugh. "He always has been very tough to kill…"

"See? Now there's no way that the Tamlen we know and love would fall to some sickness! I got better, didn't I? And we both know he's **way **more strong than I am!" Theron reassured her

She smiled up at him, and found comfort in his words. "So.. you're leaving then?" she asked in a small voice

Theron grinned "Don't fret about that! While I'm with these 'Grey Wardens' I'll be searching for him, and when I find him I'll drag his ass to you, and make him apologize for making you worry!"

He smile widened a bit, Theron always knew just what to say "You'll give him a good smack for me when you find him, won't you?"

Theron gave her a brotherly kiss on her forehead "Of course, I will. What kind of friend would I be if couldn't do that for you?"

"Not a very good one," she teased, she shoved the bag towards him, no longer being able to look into his eyes "you promise to be safe?"

He ruffled her hair "Come on now, **that **would be boring!"

She shook her head, "You're ridiculous sometimes… Oh! Wait here!" she then sprinted out of the tent. Theron sighed, Merrill was sweet, almost to the point of being a bit naïve, she always thought of the clan before she did anything, and Theron knew that she would make a wonderful Keeper. But it was because of the selflessness of hers, that she didn't allow anyone to know her feeling- not even Tamlen, oh, who was he kidding- especially Tamlen. Theron realized a long time ago that he was her one person that she could let her feeling go, and not worry about what he would think, and it was because of that that Theron felt like it would be worse for Merrill if he left the clan…

She pulled back the tent flap and entered again, shoving a book at him. "For when you see him again!" she said, the tears again overflowing

Theron examined the book, "His… journal?"

"He'll want it back, so he can record what an idiot he's been when you find him."

Her best friend stared at it for a moment, then smiled "I'll be sure that it gets back to him." he promised

She hugged him again, "Good, and please, be safe."

He hugged her back, "Of course I will…"

oOoOo

Theron sighed, as they walked down the rocky path to Redcliff. He was sick of the past making a constant appearance in his daily life, and he wasn't even going to mention when they came back during the night.

"Theron, may I ask you a question?" Alistair asked, quickening his steps to be able to walk next to the elf

"You just did," he replied, and Alistair wasn't sure whether it was a joke or not

"Ah, right you are!" Alistair responded "May I ask you two questions then?"

Theron gave him a sideways glance, "But you already have…" and with that Alistair saw the jest in his words.

"Okay, then can I ask you four?" Alistair said with a smirk

"I repeat myself: you already have."

Alistair stared at the elf, the gears in his head turning as he tried to think back "Wait a second, no I didn't."

"Yes, you did." Theron answered

"When?"

Theron grinned at the warrior "Just now."

Alistair opened his mouth to protest, but realized he was right. _Cheeky bastard_, Alistair thought as he smiled to himself.

"What do you want to know?" Theron asked, smiling faintly

"Well… I was wondering as to your lack of shoes."

Theron looked down his bare feet as he walked, "Amongst the Dalish, it's considered rude to cover your toenails in front of a superior."

"Wha- are you serious?" The elf just looked at him, "You're serious, aren't you?" Theron just shrugged, and Alistair was honestly not able to tell whether he was being serious or not. Damnnit! Why hadn't he paid more attention to feet when they were with Zathrian's clan!?

Suddenly, Theron stopped in his tracks, as the rest of the party stared at him, the confusion obvious on their faces. Rum heard it too, and the fur on his back began to rise as both the rogue and the dog strained to listen to for whatever they had heard originally.

Theron reached down to the ground and picked up a rock, he tossed it up slightly, judging its weight. There was no way he'd be able to shot a bow, with his newly acquired useless arm. Just as Alistair was about ask after what he was doing, Theron hurled the rock off the side of the path and into the canopy of a tree.

There was a cry of pain, as a blond elf fell out of the tree, holding where the rock had struck his head. "Damn it!" he howled "Attack!"

Theron smirked, proud of his hearing, as he drew one of his blades and charged off to fight the attackers. Alistair was right behind him, and Theron timed his shots to in step with Alistair's. The two were a deadly pair when it came to combat. Alistair would charge in, swiping his sword at anything that moved, and Theron would take out the ones that we too focused on the warrior to notice the deft elf.

While Alistair distracted everyone within a ten mile radius, Theron took a quick look around. He honed in on the blond elf that he had struck with the stone, and noticed he was giving an awful lot of orders to the men around him.

Theron skillfully dodged the arrows that pierced the air towards him, as made his way to the other elf. The rogue killed anyone that got in his way, and the other elf looked to him as Theron made his approach. The blond elf smiled "Here to play, are you?" he asked

Theron smiled back, "Well, it's no fun to go to the party with at least speaking with host!" he replied as he slashed his blade at the blond elf.

The other elf blocked his attack and the two were trapped in a blade lock. The blond elf eyed Theron's unmoving right arm. "Testing your skills with one arm, or showing off?"

Theron smirked, "Actually, it doesn't work- but of course you already knew that." The assassin came up with a new blade in his other hand, and Theron barely shifted his weight in time to dodge it. "I'm sure you've been watching us a while!"

The assassin sweep kicked Theron's legs out from under him, driving his blades down towards him.

Theron somersaulted backwards to dodge the attack, as the assassin scoffed "You give me far too much credit."

Theron swung a leg up with impossible speed and the assassin's head rebounded off his foot and into a nearby tree, knocking him unconscious. The elf turned around to see how his other party members were fairing, just in time to watch Alistair cut down the last of the attacking party.

Alistair met his gaze and smiled widely at Theron while giving him a thumbs up, Theron smiled and returned the gesture. He then tilted his head down to look at the comatose elf at his feet. Alistair walked up to him, "Is he still alive?"

Theron nodded, "It was appear so…" they looked at each other

"Well, I suppose even if he's missing the bow, we can still open this information present!" Alistair joked

Theron grinned "I was hoping you'd say that!"


	20. From Trust to Betrayal With One Word

Alistair watched as Theron tied the other elf's arm behind his back, Alistair was surprised he didn't seem to be having any trouble with it, even without the use of one arm. Maybe it was just him, but Theron seemed a little happier, which was always good news. Alistair had feared that the hermit wouldn't return the book and leave Theron in a permanent enrage state that would no doubt end with Alistair sporting a lot of new bruises. The warrior was impressed, even without Theron's dominate hand, he was able to hold his own just as well in a fight, especially against an ambush. Duncan was right to recruit him. But most of all, he felt like Theron had moved passed something, and now he wouldn't be quite so angry all the time.

Theron squatted in front of the blond elf, and studied his face. There was something oddly familiar about him, though the Dale knew there was no way he'd ever seen him before. Theron shrugged the thought off, and flicked the other elf as hard as he could on the nose.

The assassin snapped awake with a cry of surprise, he blinked until Theron came into focus, his face not that far from his own. "Ah, I rather thought I'd wake up dead." he commented

Theron tilted his head "That would be rather difficult, I think. I don't think you wake up after being killed, well, unless there's blood magic involved, I suppose." the Dale replied

The blond elf gave a lopsided grin, "I guess that would be the case, wouldn't it? But seeming how you haven't killed me yet, I assume you want answers, yes?"

"Maybe I just wanted to look in your eyes." Theron said lightly

The assassin eyed him, just what kind of game was he playing here? "I have been told they're very lovely, though I do find myself admiring yours." he replied

_Gods damn it. _Theron thought, _He wasn't suppose to have a comeback to that. _"What's your name?"

"Zevran Arainai. Zev: to my friends." Zevran answered "What's yours?"

"Theron Mahariel, I take it you're an assassin?"

Zevran grinned "You're very perceptive, I am a member of the Antivan Crows."

"Wow," Theron mused, and looked up at Alistair "we've got our very own assassin! Who do you think we pissed off enough to earn him?"

"Probably Loghain," Alistair replied "he did outlaw the Grey Wardens after all."

"Right you are! Quite the tassy-turned fellow, isn't he?" Zevran chimed in

Theron turned back to him, "I honestly wouldn't know. I've never met the man, he does have a habit of showing extreme dick-headedness though, so I wouldn't put it passed him."

This was probably the most weird conversation Theron had ever had in his life. Not five minutes ago, this man was trying to kill them, and yet they were all chatting as if they were old friends. This Zevran seemed very friendly, even if he was after their lives. Which was probably his way of making Theron relax his guard, so the Dale was careful to keep his wits about him.

"So you came all the way from Antiva to kill us?" Theron asked

"Not exactly, I was in the neighborhood when the offer came." the assassin replied "The Crows get around, you see."

"I do now." Theron replied, he had only heard a little of the assassins that came from Antiva, but it was always about how they get the job down. Must just be rumors though, if Theron and his ragtag team of warriors were able to beat them. But Theron couldn't seem to shake the feeling of familiarity from him. As far as he knew, he had never forgot a face, so knowing him personally wasn't an option. So who the hell did the assassin remind him of? "You're awfully glib, for a prisoner. Why tell me all of this?"

"Why not? I've never been paid for silence!"

"You silence in your fee?"

Zevran thought for a moment, "Not exactly. But if you're done asking questions, I have one for you, if you don't mind, that is."

Theron looked to Alistair, who shrugged in response. "All right, what is it?" Theron asked

"Well, I failed to kill you, so my life is forfeit," Theron gave him a questioning look, "if you don't kill me, the Crows will."

"They sound like a lovely organization." Theron commented

"So, let me serve you instead." Zevran finished

Had Theron and Alistair been drinking something, both of them would've choked on it. "I'm sorry," Alistair blurted out, "you literally **just **tried to kill us, and now you're asking to tag along!?"

The assassin shrugged, "If it means living, then why not?"

"He has a point." Theron commented

Alistair shot him a glare, was Theron really considering bringing him along!?

"What?" Theron asked

"Nothing." Alistair grumbled

Theron continued to ask the assassin about his skills and what just had brought him here, and Alistair realized that Theron was honestly putting a thought into whether or not he should bring him along. "Theron," Alistair interrupted "can I speak with you?" Theron looked up to him, to show that he was listening. "Alone." Alistair said sternly, and Theron raised his eyebrows. Was Alistair angry?

Theron followed Alistair a few feet out of the assassin's hearing zone, "Seriously?" Alistair said

"Seriously, what Alistair? He's very skilled, and he could be useful."

"That's your reasoning? 'He could be useful'?" Alistair asked

"That's the reason I keep Morrigan around, trust me, it's not her cheery personality." Theron jested, and he saw Alistair's lip twitch in an effort to keep him from smiling.

"I just don't think it's a good idea to bring along the elven assassin." Alistair replied

Theron knitted his eyebrows at him, why had he mentioned the assassin's race? Why didn't he just assassin? "What?" was all Theron could say in his confusion. Alistair wasn't one of _those _humans… was he?

"He just tried to kill us-"

"No, I mean, why did you say it like that?"

It was Alistair's turn to be confused, "Say what?"

"Why did you say 'elven' like that? What, if he were human we wouldn't be having this discussion?" Theron spat "You got something against elves?"

"What? No! I didn't mean it like that!"

"Then what did you mean!?" Theron demanded, feeling his rage growing in his stomach again. Damn it! He was finally starting to trust Alistair, and now it turned out his was just like all the other bigot humans he had met! He was such a fool to even consider that race didn't matter to Alistair. All humans seemed to view elves as second class citizens. Even Alistair…

Alistair's tongue was tied, he didn't know what he meant, but he certainly hadn't meant to imply that he didn't want to assassin to come simply because he was elven. "I didn't mean to say that." Alistair tried to explain

"Well, you did." Theron said harshly, "I thought…!" he looked the warrior in the eyes, he felt betrayed, but he also felt like a massive fool. Tamlen was right, he had gone too easy on humans. You couldn't trust them. They were only good for building you up so they could watch you fall. "Don't like elves? Too damn bad, because you put me in charge of this damn group, and I'm bringing along the **elven **assassin, whether you like it or not." Theron turned on his heel and back to Zevran, "You're lucky day, Zevran, welcome aboard to the ragtag team of darkspawn killers." he said as he cut the ropes off him.

With that, Alistair knew that he had pushed Theron's emotional health off the cliff that it had been toeing for weeks now, and that getting it back up wasn't going to be easy. In fact, it was probably impossible.

Theron sent a glare over to him, and Alistair recognized the hurt that was there. Just when things had started getting better, he had screwed it up. Maker damn it, it seemed that was all that he was good at.

oOoOo

Hot damn, guys. Chapter Twenty.

Don't know about you guys, but I'm impressed!


	21. What Storm?

The road to Redcliff seemed endless now. Theron didn't feel like talking to anyone anymore, and simply wouldn't respond if anyone addressed something to him, unless it was vital. He went back to not eating, and hiding in his tent as soon as they set camp, and he stayed like that for two days on their way to get the next Treaty. Technically it wasn't a Treaty, but the Arl of Redcliff wasn't at the battle of Ostagar and still had all his men. Alistair had said that if they could reach him, then he would more than likely aid them with the Blight, and maybe even take out Loghain while they were at it.

On the third day of their eight day walk to Redcliff, Theron felt the familiar energy in the air. "We should set camp." he announced

Alistair looked at him quizzically, "Why? It won't get dark for another three hours."

"There's going to be a storm soon." Theron replied, refusing to look at the warrior and instead staring up at the clear skies above him.

"A storm? There's not a cloud in the sky." Alistair replied

Theron gave a frustrated sigh, "Alistair, I've spent my entire life outside, I'm pretty sure I know when it's going to rain and when it's not." he said, finally meeting the warrior's gaze.

"Well I've spent my entire life in Ferelden, and I know that a storm doesn't come out of nowhere." Alistair replied, with a hint of jest in his words.

"All right, fine." Theron said, as he quickly undid the straps that bound Alistair's shield to his back, and tied it to his belt.

The warrior knitted his eyebrows at the rogue, "What are you doing?" he asked

Theron shrugged, "Well, when it **doesn't **rain, I definitely **won't **be using this as an umbrella." he answered, and then returned to his vow of silence.

Alistair refused to admit defeat, there wasn't a cloud in sky! There was no way that it was going to rain. But of course, just short of an hour later, dark clouds began to roll in from the south, and Alistair prayed that it wouldn't rain. But the drop of water that landed on his head and rolled its way down his cheek was evidence to the contrary. Theron took the shield off his belt and held it over his head as the rain began to descend from the soon to be thundering sky.

The other party members began to scramble and hurry to put up their tents, but Theron just ignored them. Alistair released a sigh of frustration, "Theron, we should set camp."

The elf turned to look back at the warrior, "Oh no, it's not going rain." he replied, and gave the warrior a look that said 'I know when I'm right, bitch, don't doubt me.'

Theron was nothing if not stubborn, as the warrior looked onto his face the was set in pure determination, he knew that the elf wasn't going to put up his tent if Alistair didn't admit his was wrong. "Okay, I get it. You were right." The rogue just continued to stare at him, "And I was wrong." more silence from the elf "And I should've listened to you."

"Never doubt a Dale when it comes to weather." he said and handed the warrior his shield, then stalked off to set up his tent.

Alistair watched him go, how was he going to fix this one?

oOoOo

Theron sat alone in his tent, listening to the heavy rain pound on the canopy of his tent, his eyes anchored to Tamlen's journal. He could not seem to bring himself to read it. The was no doubt that it was filled with all the good memories Theron, Tamlen and Merrill had all shared. Tamlen always liked to write down the accounts of everything that went on in his life, and he'd often doodle in his book next to the entries. Theron took a deep breath, setting the book on the ground, the opened the cover, and read the first line.

'_Theron, close the damn book. It has MY name on the cover for a reason.' _

Theron smiled, there had been times in the past when he would steal Tamlen's journal and read lines from it aloud, so Tamlen got in the habit of that always being the first thing he'd always write. He read the next line

_'And even if it's not Theron, close the damn book! It's only meant for my eyes! I can't promise your innocence will still be intact if you read these pages!'_

He smiled and turned the page.

_'Today, Theron, Merrill and I decided to go swimming as the clan was passing by a lake. We're all in our twenties, but that didn't stop us from acting like a bunch of five years olds as we held games of underwater tag and preformed tricks for each other as we dove into the water. Of course Theron was the ultimate victor for style in diving, but I still whooped his ass in tag. He'll never be as fast as I am!' _Next to the entry were two pictures, one of Theron diving into the water, and the other of Tamlen poking Theron underwater, showing that Theron was now 'it'. Theron sighed and smiled, as he remembered the day. Merrill had conjured up some vines for them the swing on, and Theron never had been able to catch him when they played tag, whether in the water or in the forest. Tamlen was always just out of his reach.

Theron spent the next two hours reliving all the entries, and musing at the excellent portraits that Tamlen had drawn next to them. He couldn't remember a day that had gone by when he wasn't at Tamlen's side- well, at least not since he disappeared that was. His heart hurt again, why did it have to be Tamlen that disappeared? Theron blamed himself, he had never let Tamlen out of his sight, and the one day he did was the day he went missing.

He shook the thought from his head. _Nothing can kill Tamlen. _He reminded himself, and before he knew it, he had read all the entries save for the last two.

_'Today, Theron and I were "training" again, while we always start out practicing our hand to hand combat, it __**always **__ends with a life or death wrestling match. Marathari has never approved of such things, and it earned both of us a nice tongue lashing,(Even though it had only been me who got caught, Marathari knows that we never do anything without each other) along with one week of early guard duty. "Hooray" for us.'_

That one stung, the date was only three days from day that he had gone missing. The picture next to it was of Theron and Tamlen fully armed and looking bored while sitting in a tree.

Theron flipped to the last entry.

_'Today Theron and I met two humans while on patrol. I wanted to shoot them on sight, but Theron insisted we find out what they have to say for themselves. Theron's always been a bit soft on humans, even when he has every right not to be. Humans killed his parents, his father was killed before he was born, and his mother passed away shortly after she gave birth to him. But he doesn't hate them at all for it. "You can't blame an entire race for something only a few did." he always says whenever the topic is brought up. I don't understand how he can think like that. He just has such an open mind, one day it'll get him killed, he needs to learn to hate them properly.' _Even as Theron read that, he could almost hear the sarcasm in the words. Hate was a strong word, and Tamlen didn't hate anybody. Maybe a strong dislike, but never hate.

_'As it turned out, the humans we had ran into were Grey Wardens looking for recruits. They watched Theron and I train with each other the next day, and whispered amongst themselves. I mentioned it to Theron in elvish, so I wouldn't be understood to them, but Theron just shrugged and said "If there really is a Blight going on, they're just going to have to find their recruits elsewhere. I'll defend the clan before I defend an order I've barely heard of."_

_Good thing to know that even with that open mind of his, he has his ideals in the right place. Theron and I may have different fighting styles, but I still think he is a talented warrior. Plus, I won't lie, his lock picking skills has gotten us out of many… predicaments, in the past._

_But from the way those Grey Wardens look at us… I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to recruit us. Is it true that they can recruit people against their will?'_

And that was it. The last thing Tamlen had written was that question. A question that Theron could answer from experience. He could feel the tears welling up his eyes, he had never felt as lonely as his did these last few weeks. All he wanted was to have his best friend back, find his clan and forget that this whole affair had even happened. He didn't want to worry about saving the country with a bunch of humans that he didn't even like!

But there was no way to turn back what happened, and dwelling on it wasn't going to help any either. His thoughts drifted back to Alistair… He hadn't judged, and even accepted when Theron would tell him about Dalish customs, he had made it clear that if Theron wanted to talk that he would listen… Theron covered his face with his hand, to try and hide his shame, even if there was nobody to hide it from. Maybe he was over reacting. Alistair had said that he hadn't meant it like that, perhaps he should believe him.

But Theron couldn't do it, it seemed like everyone he dared to trust was now being ripped away from him. He just shouldn't bother with these "feelings" for a while. Perhaps it was best just to shut himself off for a while, he was sick of this whole situation.

Theron found himself distracted by the sudden sound of folding heavy material. That was odd, was somebody taking down their tent? They'd be a fool to do such a thing, it was pouring rain out there! He heard the cursing, and the rapid steps coming straight for his tent, and he hastily wiped his eyes. Zevran tore back the tent flap, dived in and landed in Theron's lap. He was soaked to bone, and water dripped from his hair into his face. The assassin gave him a lopsided grin, "It appears my tent has collapsed…"

Theron's eyebrows were up as far as his forehead would allow. "I… heard." was all he could say as the assassin stared up at him.

Zevran sat up and pushed the hair from his face, "Would you mind if I stay here, then? At least until the rain lets up?"

Trying to set up a tent in this weather would be insane and impossible, and where would the assassin go if Theron told him no? Off to somebody else's tent for sure, and while it would be absolutely hilarious if he ended up in Alistair's, Theron felt like it would end with somebody losing a lot of blood. So Theron leaned over and pulled out some dry clothes for Zevran to change into. "I don't see why not."

_And now I am to spend the night with a man who tried to kill me not three days ago. _Theron thought.

_Lovely._

oOoOo

Not even twenty four hours later and I have another chapter up! I'm on a roll!

Kate: "Tassy-turned fellow" is something that Zevran says when you first ask him about who sent him, and it made me chuckle so I put it in here too :) I'm not entirely sure what it means, but it does bring and amusing image to my mind :D

Hey guys, anymore questions? I'm happy to answer them!


	22. Protect Me From What? Living?

INTERNET! OH HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU DEARLY! I HOPE YOU NEVER GO DOWN AGAIN!

Can anyone explain why sometimes I have like eighty ideas for a chapter and update almost daily, and then all of sudden I lose all motivation for like a month?

Because it's annoying.

Also, somebody should work out an update schedule for me, because if I do it, I won't stick to it..

oOoOo

Zevran smiled at Theron and he just stared politely at him, the assassin had changed clothes and was now sitting cross legged in front of the Dale. Theron sat in silence, not being able to think of anything to say to the man- after all, it wasn't everyday you bunked with a man who tried to kill you- so he said nothing at all and waited for the assassin to make the first move.

Only he didn't, and they simply sat quietly, each waiting for the other to speak. Theron turned his attention to Rum, who was eyeing the assassin suspiciously. He had heard that Mabari war hounds were as smart as people, and could sense emotions. Perhaps his dog was mimicking his emotions?

"I have a request." Theron finally caved and spoke first after a ten minute silence

"Hmm? What is it?" curious, Zevran asked, and Theron could have sworn there was just a tad bit of triumph hanging on his words.

"Don't kill me while I sleep." Theron said simply

The assassin grinned, "You have my word. I swore to you that I would protect you…"

_Yeah, protect me from living… _Theron thought, unconvinced, as he stopped paying attention to whatever else the assassin was saying. But then he figured that he at least had to give him a chance, before deciding he hated him. After all, he did that with Leliana and she turned out to be okay, though she always seem to be staring at his lips and to at all times have something in her eyes with all that rapid blinking she did when he spoke with her. Maybe it was on purpose? Perhaps dropping some signals that he had no way to understand…? What strange costumes humans had…

When Theron tuned back in to the assassin, he had stopped talking and was waiting for an answer to an unheard question. "Sorry, what?" Theron asked

The assassin laughed "I was asking of that book you're holding."

Theron looked down to see that he was clutching Tamlen's journal again, "Oh…" Theron said "It's my journal." he lied as he poked it back into his backpack.

"Ah, recording all amazing adventures you're having, eh?"

Theron gave a small sarcastic laugh, "Yes, yes, 'amazing' is **defiantly** the word that you should be using there."

"What? You're not enjoying your escapade of stopping the Blight?" Zevran asked with a grin

"Let's recount the events, shall we? First, I got dragged- against my will- to the Wardens, second, I wouldn't even have to do this is Loghain didn't decide to be an ass at Ostagar and leave the army to die, third, a fucking werewolf bit my arm and now it doesn't work and my shoulder burns like a bitch **all the time**, and finally, I got attacked by an assassin who is now spending the night in my tent-"

"Hey!" Zevran disapproved

"-I'm not exactly living the life of luxury here." Theron finished as if he didn't hear him.

Zevran thought for a moment, "Well, now you get to get out and explore the world, right?"

Theron gave him a playful dirty look "I'm Dalish, I've literally spent my entire life doing that."

"Ah! I was wondering if your tattoos were Dalish or just inspired by the Dalish. Tell me, what is it like among your people?" Zevran asked, and look genuinely interested.

Theron looked him up and down and pondered to if he was feigning his interest, but decided he wasn't when he saw the curiosity that lingered in his eyes.

Theron began to speak, tell stories and listen to Zevran's comments and questions, and even answered them when he could. The two of them talked well into the night, and over the loud thunder that cracked above them. While their other companions were no doubt asleep, or at least trying to sleep with the constant pounding of rain, the two elves were joking and conversing happily, though Zevran noticed that the other elf never did smile or grinned. Zevran was now determined to make him smile.

As the night drifted on, the two came to the realization that there was only one bedroll in the tent. Theron said that Zevran could use it and that he would sleep on the ground, but the blond elf insisted that they could share it. They lay closer than Theron was comfortable with, but in the end he decided that if Zevran did happen to kill him- for in would be easy when they were so close- that the assassin would be doing him a favor. Rum was disgruntled and annoyed. He always slept between the rogue's legs, but now there was too many limbs for him to sleep there, so he huffed and settled for Theron's open side and pressed himself against his owner. Though Theron was uncomfortable as he was sandwiched between them, he didn't let it show and continued with their easy banter. It was almost insane how easy it was to talk to Zevran, he figured he should have been more alarmed by an hired knife laying three inches away from himself, but he wasn't. Zevran was funny and easy to get along with, and Theron actually liked talking to him, as crazy as that was.

Before either of them knew it, they had drifted into sleep.

Hours later, the rain was still pouring down, attempting to knock down the rogue's tent, but Theron wasn't one to mess around when it came to setting up his tent. One day, not unlike the one that was happening now, his and Tamlen's tent had fallen under the weight of the heavy rain while out hunting, and they had to spend the night under a tree, and the rogue was intent not to let that happen again.

Theron awoke to something moving along his back, at first he ignored it, figuring it was simply a spider that had made it into the safety of the dry tent. But as he paid more attention to it, it certainly didn't feel like any spider he'd ever felt before. His eyes shot open when he realized it was a finger tracing the scars and wounds on his back. There was somebody in his tent! Then last night's memories flooded back, and he relaxed, though he was slightly surprised that he even woke up today without a knife through his heart.

Zevran noticed the change and saw that he was awake, "How'd you get this one?" he asked, as he outlined the wound that ran from his shoulder to the opposite hip, "Darkspawn?" he guessed

Theron shook his head as well as he could when half his face was buried in the pillow. "…Alistair…" he murmured as sleep dangled from his words.

"He did this to you?" Zevran asked in disbelief

"It wasn't on purpose." Theron answered, though most of the sound from his words was devoured by the pillow.

"What? How does this happen on accident?" the assassin demanded

Realizing that the blond elf wasn't going to let him return to his blissful dreamless sleep, Theron pushed himself up to a sitting position. He rubbed his eyes as he began to regale the assassin with the tale of his first ever mission with a human partner.

"All that for a wolf?"

Theron nodded, "The Dalish are close with any animal that roams the wild. It was… strange being with them, even now it's strange. None of us share the same views, yet we all work pretty well as a team. Goes to show that crisis can bring people together."

"So it would seem."

Theron poked his head out of the tent and looked to the sky, when he pulled his head back in it was completely soaked. "Well?" Zevran asked "What does the walking weather forecast think about this rain?"

Theron grinned, it was a funny feeling on his lips, it felt almost foreign, but seeing it, Zevran felt no small satisfaction knowing that he had got the brooding elf to smile.

"I'd say about another hour and it'll clear up." Theron said

"Ah, that's not bad. Do you know what time it is?"

"A little after ten in the morning." he said as he loved on Rum when the dog approached.

Zevran stared at him, the Dalish were impressive indeed.

oOoOo

Alistair didn't like how easily the elves were talking to each other while the party were packing up their tents. At first glance it looked as if the two had been friends for years, you'd never guess that four days ago they were trying to kill each other. Alistair scowled at the two of them, the warrior had spent more than a month trying to get Theron to open up, but it only took Zevran four days!? No, not even four days, Theron hadn't spoke to anyone for three, so it took him…What? A day?

"If you keep making that face, it'll get stuck like that." Leliana said lightly when she noticed his facial state. Alistair just gave her a scoff as a response. "Oh, what's wrong? I've never seen you in a bad mood before."

Alistair made a noise, not unlike a toddler being denied a treat, before saying "How is it that they speak with each other?" he asked as he swiped his hand towards the elves.

"Well, everyone possesses this thing called a 'voice', even you Alistair." Leliana teased, Alistair sent his glare over to her as well, and she giggled "He did seem to be doing better the day her got that book back, right?"

Alistair reluctantly nodded "Yeah, but then I made myself out to be some…. some bigot that hated elves and screwed that up. I made him all grumpy again."

"Did you apologize?"

Alistair opened his mouth to say, duh, of course he had, but then he realized that he hadn't, actually and his breath got stuck in his throat.

"Oh my Maker, you didn't apologize?!"

"I-I meant too!" Alistair stammered

"But you didn't! Maybe that's why he's so miffed!"

"You're right-"

"Hey, are you guys ready?" Theron called to them, Zevran not standing too far from him. Alistair didn't know why, but that made his blood boil.

"Yes, let's get a move on." Morrigan said, as she pushed her way passed everyone and headed down the road. With that, everyone swung their packs over their shoulders and followed after Morrigan. Alistair was near the read and he didn't waste the opportunity to stare daggers at the assassin.

Leliana sighed "You are such a child." she muttered "Zevran," she called, and the assassin turned to look over his shoulder at the bard "could I ask you a few questions?"

The blonde elf gave her a lopsided grin, "How could I deny such a beautiful woman such an easy request?" he teased, and slowed to walk next to her, leaving Theron's side open.

Alistair looked to Leliana, who winked at him, and he smiled. Alistair quickened his step to be able to walk next to the elf.

Theron turned his head to look at him as he approached, and gave him a quick greeting.

Alistair decided not to beat around the bush "Listen, I wanted to apologize for the other day-"

Theron shook his head, "No, don't worry about it. I completely overreacted."

"But I said something incredibly stupid."

"And I made a big deal over something you said that was incredibly stupid, which means we're both pretty big idiots." Theron gave the warrior a grin, "Honestly, don't fret about it, I'm not mad."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Alistair." Theron replied with a comforting smile

Alistair smiled in relief, it was good to know that he had forgave him. Alistair then grinned "Are you positive?"

Theron looked up at him, surprised to hear his own words coming from the warriors mouth. The elf grinned "I am absolutely positively certain that I'm sure."


	23. Friends? I Don't Know What You Mean

An update every Friday?

I think I can manage that :) Thanks Scribe Esquivel!

Prepare to read Theron's story on a regular basis!

And I apologize, I meant to upload this on Friday, but I ended up staying at cousin's house while I helped him move over the weekend.

oOoOo

As they made their way closer and closer to Redcliff, Theron noticed that Alistair seemed to be getting more and more uneasy, but figured if he want to talk about whatever was bothering him, then he'd asked to talk about it. They had almost reached the city when Theron watched a bead of sweat drip down Alistair's face. Okay, that was it! He was figuring out what was wrong. He tugged at Alistair's armor and waved the others off, once the rest of the party was out of their hearing range, Theron asked "What's wrong, Alistair? You look very nervous."

Alistair gave the elf a lopsided shaky grin "That obvious, huh?"

"When you know what to look for." Theron commented, brushing the dirt off the tip of his nose

Alistair looked off to the side, "Um, well, there's actually something I've been meaning to tell you." he admitted. Theron looked up at him with eyes that said, _You can tell me anything._ Alistair took in a deep breath, "You see… the thing is-"

"I thought I saw travelers coming down the road!" A loud voice caught everyone's attention as a man came running up to the group. "Though I scarcely believed my eyes!" he said, a bit breathless.

Theron looked back to Alistair, the apology obvious on his features, Alistair just gave a small grin and shook his head, silently telling him not to worry about it. Theron patted the warrior's shoulder in a promise to talk later, then left to go speak with the distraught man.

Alistair sighed, how was he going to explain this one?

oOoOo

Theron resisted the urge to sigh, first the Dalish with their werewolves and now Redcliff with its "monsters" walking around. The who had ran to meet them at the bridge took them to an older man who appeared to be in charge of this miltia. He introduced himself as Teagan and Alistair instantly recognized him, and the older man smiled- something Theron get the feeling he hadn't done for a while now. Teagan began to explain what exactly had been going on around here.

The elf honestly thought he'd be more surprised to hear that the dead were up and walking around, but he found himself thinking… _Could be worse. Though I'm not sure how….There could be…. rats or something also running amuck. _

"Alistair," Teagan said, drawing Theron from his thoughts "I beg of you, we need your help."

All eyes turned to the warrior, "I'd like too, but it isn't just up to me." he answered, uncrossing his arms, and with that, all eyes turned to the elf, and he had to wonder for a moment why they did. Then he remembered that he was responsible for this group of young warriors and rogues- well, mostly young, he wasn't sure how old Sten was, and he was NOT about to ask.

"Of course we'll help," Theron said as if that should've been obvious "A friend of Alistair's is a friend of mine."

Teagan gave a relieved sigh just as Sten scoffed and said "There is no Darkspawn here-"

"But there **is** an army." Theron interrupted, and he turned back to Sten waiting for an argument that never came. He turned back to Teagan and felt smug, though he didn't let it show. There was nothing better than beating Sten with logic.

Teagan told them everything they'd need to help with, and Theron spilt up his group in an attempt to get it all done quicker. Remembering Alistair needed to speak with him, the two teamed up. Sten and Morrigan were paired up to convince a dwarf into fighting, Zevran and Leliana left to speak with Ser Perth about… whatever he needed to talk about. Teagan was talking too fast and Theron wasn't able to understand everything that he had said. The Ferelden's King's Tongue had to be the language that Theron struggled with the most. So persuading a drunk into making some armor was left to Alistair, Theron and Rum simply because Theron hadn't fully understood what Teagan said.

Once everyone understood what they had to do, they all filed off. Theron and Alistair began to walk out of the Chantry when the elf noticed a woman trying to muffle her crying. The rogue walked up to her, where she instantly apologized for being too loud.

Theron shook his head, "I'm not bothered, just concerned. What's wrong?"

There was that compassion again. Alistair was almost surprised that it was there, after all, when he had met Theron, the elf was a bit… disgruntled. But to see him now, he wasn't the man he was a month ago. He was always willing to help and to do the right thing, no matter the cost and without a second thought.

_Gods… Damn it, no, don't look at me like that. I don't want to find your stupid little brother. He's probably hiding under his bed or something. Oh, shit. There's the puppy eyes. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I CAN'T HANDEL PUPPY EYES! _Theron thought, though he said "Don't worry, I'll look for him." with a warm smile for added effect. She lit right up and practically jumped in his arms as she thanked him over and over again. Theron gently pushed her off of him "I'm haven't actually done anything yet." he said "You can thank me when I find him." she nodded eagerly and thanked him again.

Theron finally made his way outside, Alistair not far behind. The elf stole a glance at him. The warrior was looking a bit blissful, and the rogue absently wondered what he had done to earn that. Theron stopped him on the steps, "What did you want to talk about?" he asked

Alistair's eyes went wide, there was little, small, tiny, minuscule, 90% of him that had hope Theron forgot that he had ever said anything. Maybe he could talk his way out of this. "Hmm?" he replied

Theron saw right through it, and he raised a skeptical eyebrow "Outside the village." he explained, humoring him "You said there was something that you want to talk about."

"Did I?"

"Yeah, you did." Theron replied, managing to cross his arms. To anybody else, that was a small feat, but every since Theron's run in with the werewolf, the more he could cross his arms without looking like a complete idiot, the better he felt. But right now, he was feeling pretty stupid. Alistair stared him, acting like he was trying to remember whatever he was going to say. "Alistair, I know you know what I'm talking about."

This was it! His chance to turn this into a joke! "But how can you know that you know what I know?"

"Because I can read on your face that you know that I know that you know what I'm talking about, which is that I know that you want to talk about something that only you seem to know about." Theron replied without missing a beat

Oh great, now he was just confused and "know" sounded funny. "Oh, all right, fine. I wanted to tell you that… And this is something I know I should've told you before…" Theron nodded "but… I'm actually- don't get mad-" The elf watched him, waiting for whatever earth shattering news he had while Alistair babbled on. "I'm actually- you promise you won't get mad?"

"I promise." Theron assured him calmly

Alistair looked at his feet, defeated. "Okay, well the truth is… That, um, King Maric… was, uh, my… father." he said slowly.

Theron stared at him for a long while, trying to figure why this was such grand news. What did blood matter? Theron's father was the Keeper of his clan before Marathari, but that didn't mean Theron was in line to become the next Keeper. Then it struck him, humans seemed to have a obsession with bloodlines. So, Alistair really was next in line to become King. Theron nodded, understanding, "Okay." he said.

Alistair's breath got stuck in his throat, "Okay?" he repeated

Theron nodded again, "Okay." Theron confirmed

Alistair stared at the elf who looked completely unfazed by the monstrosity of news that had just been presented to him. "I don't think you understand…" Alistair said, knitting his eyebrows together. "I'm a prince- or a half prince I suppose."

Theron looked around, how was he suppose to respond to that? "Uhm. Congratulations?" he tried.

"Wha- No, no! This is bad! My blood has haunted me my entire life! I was a threat to Cailan's rule so I was kept a secret, you see?"

Theron nodded, trying to understand and hiding the confusion that was plaguing him, "Okay." he repeat because he honestly had no fucking idea what he was suppose to say in this situation

Alistair stared at him again, astonished "That's… all you're going to say?"

Theron nodded again, "What do you want me to say?"

Alistair thought for a moment, he had been afraid to tell him because he always seemed to be in a bad mood, and he thought that the elf would be angry at him for keeping it a secret. "I… I don't know. I was honestly expecting you to be mad at me."

Theron looked at him funny, "Why'd you think that?" He didn't realize what a stupid question it was until it had left his lips. He had been pissy ever since he met Duncan.

Alistair gave him a playful grin "Do you really want me to answer that?"

Theron rolled his eyes and returned the grin, "No, I think I figured it out. But about your kingliness…" Theron paused, trying to put his ideas into words "I… don't care?" he said, then thought that sounded insensitive "No, wait, look. I'm Dalish. Kings and Queens really don't matter to me, but if you want to become king- or DON'T want to be king-" he quickly added when he saw Alistair's expression change, "then I'll help you however I can."

Alistair stared at him, bewildered. "You would do that for me?" he asked

Theron shrugged "What are friends for?"

Alistair's jaw fell open, then it was replaced a knowing smile "We're friends?"

Theron's expression dropped, "I didn't say that." he replied with wide eyes, how soon was too soon to be friends in human culture?

"Yes you did." Alistair exclaimed with a smile, and followed after the elf who had started to walk away.

Theron shook his head, "I said no such thing."

"You **just **said it, like twenty seconds ago!" Alistair argued, his grin staying on his mouth

Theron turned to the man, "Do you have proof?" he asked

"Yes, yes I do."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"I would like to see it." Theron challenged

Alistair turned to Rum, "He said we were friends, huh?"

Rum barked in agreement.

"Hey! Who's side are you on!?" Theron demanded, a smile breaking his playful scold

Alistair smiled at him, "C'mon, just admit it. You consider me a friend."

Theron thought for a moment, and pretended to be annoyed, "Okay, MAYBE I consider you to be more than an…" he struggled for a moment to think of the word, _CURSE THE FERELDAN TONGUE! _"acquaintance." he said, and the warrior's grin widened "But you can't tell anyone!" he pointed a finger at the warrior, then shrugged "I have a grumpy-ass-like appearance to keep up." he finished with a lopsided smile.

Alistair didn't think it was possible, but his grin widened even more, and he held his hands up. "Don't worry about it, your secret is safe with me."

The warrior smiled to himself as he followed Theron towards the smithy, who would've know that he would be the first person to be able to call the elf a friend?


	24. The Walking Dead

OHMYGOD. YOU GUYS.  
I figured out how to do line breaks!

My life is complete :)

* * *

Theron walked up to the smithy door, and tried to push it open, but he heard the metal lock collide with the door frame. He inwardly groaned, as he reached up and knocked on the door. Wait a second, were you suppose to knock before entering? Was that a thing? Theron made a mental note to ask Alistair about it later. "Who's there?" A husky voiced called through the thick door, "If you're here for supplies, it's too damn late! You've already taken everything from my stores!"

Theron looked up to Alistair, who shrugged in response. Theron looked back to the door as he tried to think of something to say "You're mistaken," he called back, leaning his head towards to the crack to try to make it easier to hear "I haven't taken anything at all, I'm just here to-"

"You're not Murdock!" the man behind the door screeched, and Theron could hear the angry footsteps that stomped their way to the door, "Who are you!? What are doing here!?"

Theron sighed, wasn't it rude to converse through a door in human culture? If it wasn't, then it SHOULD be. "I'd prefer not to talk through a block of wood and steel, would you mind if I came in?" Theron asked

There was a long pause of consideration, "All right, fine. You can come in." Theron heard to door unlock, and a bearded man threw it open. He tilted his head at Theron, "Was you the one I was talkin' too?" he asked

Theron nodded, "Yes, I'm-"

"Strange." he interrupted, "You didn't sound like an elf through the door." he turned on his heel and headed into the smithy, gesturing the group to follow him.

Theron turned his head to Alistair, "What exactly does an elf sound like?" he asked, honestly confused, Alistair shrugged in response.

The rogue led the way into the house, following after the man who was now leaning against a pillar. "Look, I'm gonna put this simply. If you're here for armor, you can just get the hell out, Murdock's already taken everything."

Theron looked around and saw a lot of raw materials lying around, the elf was no smith, but he was positive something could be made from those. Something that could no doubt save a lot of lives in the battle to come. "So why don't you make more?" he asked

"Whatsit to ya?" he asked, Theron had thought this man was just slurring his words, but as he watched him trying to wave his arms at the elf, the rogue noticed he was actually drunk. Was he even in a position to be making armor?

"You know what's going on around here," Theron argued "the undead are going to be back here tonight and we need all the armor and weapons we can get."

"Oh yeah? And what're you going to do for me in return?" he demanded

Theron raised his eyebrows, "Well, from your tone it seems you already have something in mind. What do you want?"

"My daughter, Valena, she worked as a maid up in the castle…" he started

Theron could see where this was going, was anybody in Ferelden capable of doing anything by themselves!? It seemed like he had to hold everyone's hands, and wipe everyone's ass because they were obviously not able to do it themselves. He pretended to listen as the smith prattled on about how she was missing now. He knew he was going to look for her, and he hated himself for it. Why couldn't he just be an asshole, draw his blade and intimidate him into making armor?

Damn conscience.

"Don't worry," Theron replied when the smith stopped talking "I promise I'll look for her."

The smith stared at him for a moment, then a twinkle of hope sparkled in his eye, "Well then!" he exclaimed "This armor ain't gonna make itself, now is it!?" he clapped the elf on the shoulder "You just go tell Murdock that he's gonna get his armor!"

Theron smiled up at him, "Thank you, I'm sure Murdock will be happy to hear that."

"You're not too bad, boy. Make sure you find my daughter."

Theron nodded, and headed back outside, closing the door behind him. "Who the hell is Murdock?" he asked

Alistair looked at him funny, "He's the militia leader. Teagan told us about him, remember?"

Theron tried to think back, "Shit, I don't know. Teagan talks way too quickly."

"What do you mean?" Alistair asked, Teagan hadn't been speaking very fast at all. If anything, he explained things at a leisurely pace.

Theron shrugged, "I don't know. You're king's tongue is difficult to understand, especially when everyone seems to talk so fast." Alistair stared at him, and Theron glanced up to him. Then he saw the mischievous grin snake onto the warrior's face. "Please don't." Theron begged, even though he knew the warrior was going to tease him.

"SoifItalkreallyfastlikethisy ouwon'tbeabletounderstandme?" Alistair said quickly

Theron stared up at him, confused, he didn't have any idea what he had just said, be he was sure that the warrior was making fun of him. "You're a dick." he said as he stalked off.

Alistair followed close behind him, chuckling to himself "Wait!" he called "Whereareyougoing? WeneedtogotalktoMurdock!"

"Shut up!" Theron called behind him

"What? I'maskingalegitimatequestionhe re!"

Theron whipped around, that was it! He bowed to the warrior "I'm sorry, your **Majesty**, I didn't quite catch that. Could you repeat it for me?"

Alistair stopped in his tracks, "Oh, you did **not **just go there."

Theron put on a mask of apology, "Have I offended, your Highness?" putting a hand on his chest, as if he had just been wounded

"Stop it." Alistair replied

"Oh no!" Theron over dramatized his words and actions as he put the back of his hand to his forehead. "I have offend you, my lord! You may lash me, ser!"

"Okay, now you're being a dick." Alistair replied, trying to hide his smile.

"Aha!" Theron exclaimed, and pointed a finger at him, "It's not so fun being on the other side of the teasing, is it!?"

Alistair began to laugh, and Theron found it contagious as he began to laugh with him.

* * *

A couple of hours later, everyone had completed their assignments. Sten and Morrigan had convinced the ill-tempered dwarf to come and fight, and Zevran had convinced the Mother to "bless" the warriors, much to Leliana's dismay. Theron and Alistair had found the missing little boy, who was actually in the closet, not under his bed like the elf thought. But now he was back with his sister and the elf had got an amazing sword out of it. Though he had paid WAY more than it was worth. Damn puppy eyes.

So now everyone was sitting around, waiting for dusk to come. Theron didn't really know what to expect, he had never fought skeletons before, but figured they wouldn't be much of a problem. Old brittle bones held together by magic? That wasn't as scary as a tainted army that was led by a giant dragon. The elf didn't think that tonight was going to be as bad as all the inexperienced militia men were making it out to be. Honestly, he had fought giant spiders, Darkspawn and even werewolves. Skeletons paled in comparison.

"So Theron," Leliana said as she plopped down on the log next him and Alistair, "I wanted to tell you something."

Theron looked up at her, and there she was, stealing glances at his lips. Again. Humans were weird. "Yeah? What is it?" he asked

"Well, I just wanted to tell you how traveling with you has opened my eyes to how very wrong people can be about the Dalish."

"Oh?" Theron said, this conversation wasn't going where he had expected it to. He thought they were going to have another conversation about shoes so she could giggle at his confused expressions when she lost him with talk of buttons and ribbons like she always did when they were on watch together. Theron had one pair of shoes and they were knee-high, leather, fur-lined boots that he only wore when the weather included snow.

"Yes, you're not at all savage, and I have not seen you snatch away any women or children without provocation." she replied

Theron chuckled, "Yeah, and I have to admit, you guys aren't as psycho as I expected you to be."

"You see? If my people were more open-minded to interacting with yours, we could do away with such misconceptions."

"Yeah, that's a lovely idea, but there's closed-minded individuals on both sides, you know?"

Leliana nodded, "Yes, I know, but it is quite sad. I used to hear city folk talk about how wonderful it would be to live among the Dalish. They said that it was a simpler life, close to the earth. We could learn from the Dalish."

"I… suppose we do at that. Though I don't really have anything to compare it too." Theron admitted

"Well, I haven't met very many elves, and the ones I have met were… pledged to Orliasian nobles."

"Servants and slaves, you mean." Theron replied, she started to retaliate, but Theron just shook his head "I doubt I could live like that."

"There's no slavery in Orlias! And elven servants are well compensated for their services!" Leliana explained "Some elves live richer lives than humans. A well-trained elven servant is highly valued in Orlias. They are nimble and dexterous, and many people find them pleasing to look at."

Theron was trying his best not to get offended at her words, but somehow the spite worked its way up his throat. Even Alistair was feeling a bit uncomfortable after that comment. Luckily Theron's sarcasm had intervened just in time and he said "Like a prize-winning animal!" as if it were the most exciting thing in the world. It wasn't the kindest thing to say, but at least he didn't lash out at her.

"Yes!" Leliana said, then realized what he had said and felt incredibly stupid, "I mean- no! That was…" she gave a frustrated sigh "That's not what I meant to…" another sigh, "I'm sorry, my words were clumsily chosen. I did not mean to offend. I'm sorry."

"Listen, Leliana, you may not be cruel, but you still view elves differently from humans." Theron explained, scolding himself for being so mean.

"I… had not realized that." she admitted "It's strange how long-held beliefs just seem so…"

"Natural and right?" Theron finished for her, "Like there's no other way to feel? That's something I can defiantly understand"

She stared at him for moment, "Yes." she said, a bit astonished "Thank you, you have given me a lot to think about." She stood and then wandered away.

"Great, you hurt her feelings." Alistair commented with a smile

Theron just smiled, sighed and shook his head.

* * *

"Theron…" The elf jumped awake, his eyes shot up and stayed wide until the focused onto Alistair, who grinned at his reaction. "Oh, Alistair." he said, and rubbed his eyes. Sitting up, his back cracked many times over and he had a pain in the back of his neck, though it was his own fault for falling asleep leaning against a tree. "Is it almost time?" he asked

Alistair nodded, "Sure is, we're about to move all the civilians indoors."

The warrior pulled the elf to his feet, it was strange to touch him. Alistair had only had physical contact with the elf one time before, and it had nearly earned him broken fingers. But now the rogue didn't seem to care, which seriously decreased the warriors chances of breaking anything.

Theron cracked his neck and yawned, "All right," he said "then let's get prepared to kick a bunch of Walking Dead asses, shall we?"

The elf headed off to assist the militia with herding the towns people indoors, and Alistair smiled to himself. He was glad that it was Theron that had made it through Ostagar, and not some grumpy douche bag.

Oh, wait. Theron was a grumpy douche bag, but less so now that… that what? Alistair wondered as he followed after the elf. Why had Theron suddenly become less of a dick? The rogue had spent nearly two month loathing everything around him, and yet now he was acting like the world was full of sunshine and bunnies.

The warrior kept trying to think of reasons while they got everyone who wasn't going to fight indoors, and even when they lined up to await the inevitable attack. Maybe he had comes to terms with something? The warrior didn't know. Theron hadn't ever said anything about his past, and Duncan hadn't been helpful in that area either. Just what had happened to him before he became a Warden.

"Hey Theron?" Alistair asked, as the stood waiting at the front of the bridge that lead to the castle. The rogue looked up to him, showing that he was paying attention. "You never told me how you became a Warden."

The elf's face went dark for a moment, then it sprang back into an easy expression, "You've never asked." Theron said with a grin

Alistair smiled, that sounded like something he would say, "I'm asking now."

Theron sighed, "Um, well, my friend and I were-"

"Look!" one of the guards called "The gates are opening!"

Suddenly everyone went quiet, as the castle gates slowly creaked open. It was like something out of a story book, a sickish green fog slowly drifted out of the gates and off the edge of the bridge. Theron could hear the shaky breaths behind him and the whispered prayers, and he'd be lying if he said that his heart didn't start to beat a bit faster in his chest. Only one figure glided out from the entrance to the castle. It was slow, and took waving steps. Alistair clutched his sword a bit tighter, the only light was coming from the full moon above them, as if they were trapped in a horror story.

Theron began to cross the bridge and strolled towards the creature, much to everyone's dismay. Alistair stared at him for a moment before following after him. The rest of their group was down in the village, in case the skeletons decided to come up from the lake, so it was just the two of them that walked towards the monster, as the militia wasn't about to stroll to their deaths. "Do you have a plan?" Alistair whispered to the elf

Theron shook his head, "Nope, I've never had the pleasure of killing skeleton before."

"So how do we kill it?" the warrior asked

"That's what we're gonna find out." the rogue replied

"That's so reassuring." Alistair said under his breath and the elf chuckled

When the pair drew close, the skeleton tilted its head at them and it hissed at them. HOW it hissed at them, the elf couldn't fathom. Suddenly it moved as if it just got lit on fire, and it charged the pair. Theron let out a startled yelp-like gasp, as he moved his arm and quickly slashed through the thing's spine. It collapsed to the ground in pieces, but the two stared at it, waiting for it to get back up. Only it didn't and the two looked at each other, surprised. Then they both started laughing, "Well, there you go!" Theron said, "That's how you kill them!"

"Good to know!" Alistair replied, but they were both tore from their good moment when they heard footsteps coming from the castle. Both of their expression dropped when they saw the army of undead that started filing out of the gate. These were armored and armed with weapons as well.

Theron's lip became a small line, as he stared at them. He held his arm towards them, "Seriously?" he asked

Alistair sighed, "Nothing's ever easy, is it?"

"Apparently not. Well, you first." Theron said,

"Oh no, I insist." Alistair replied

"No, no, I wouldn't want to be rude." Theron replied, both of them trying to ignore the undead soldiers that were stumbling their way to them.

"I wouldn't be offended in the least," Alistair countered, "besides, ladies first, right?"

Theron snorted a laugh, then turned his attention back to the undead. "Whatever, you just want me to go first so you can look at my ass."

Alistair laughed, "Only to wonder why you have to sit on something so pretty."

Theron joined him in that laugh, how come he had never thought of that response?

The entire militia stared at the two men, they were the only thing standing between over a hundred undead and the rest of the army, and they… were laughing?

"Well, they're not gonna kill themselves, are they?" Theron asked

"I suppose not, but we can always hope." Alistair said

With that, the two then began to sprint towards the horde, weapons drawn, and ready for battle.


	25. In The Closet We Go!

I MADE IT! I MADE IT! YALL DIDN'T THINK I'D MAKE IT, BUT I DID!

It's 11:59pm and I squeaked the update in!

I. Am amazing.

* * *

Theron couldn't help himself, he was having fun. All of the skeletons were felled with one good swipe, he laughed as he swiped his blade through yet another brittle spine. "I think you're having a bit too much fun!" Alistair called to him, as he bashed a skeleton into oblivion.

Theron's laugh continued, "This is amazing!" He called back, they were easily making their way towards the castle, without much help from the militia. "Why can't Darkspawn die so easily?"

Alistair joined him in that laugh, "Probably because they've got a bit too much flesh in the way!"

It wasn't long before to two of them were inside the gates and fighting their way up the steps to the main hall. "These guys are pussies!" Theron said, ecstatic, he hadn't felt so good in a long time. There was something very satisfying about felling an enemy in one blow. He and Alistair stood at the top of the stairs, grinning and breathing heavily. Alistair wasn't quite sure why he was in such a good mood, he childhood home was in disarray, but he found Theron's smile contagious, and couldn't help but smile right along with the rogue. Theron looked up at the doors, "Should we go inside?" he asked

Alistair thought for a moment, "You honestly think the front door is going to be unlocked?"

Theron gave him a sly grin, and pulled out a slender lock pick, "Do they have to be?"

Alistair grinned and shook his head, while Theron knelt down to get a better angle on the lock, "And just where does a Dalish elf learn to pick a lock exactly?" the warrior asked

Theron smirked "You'd be surprised about how many ruins we come across."

There was suddenly a deafening scream that howled from across the courtyard, both Theron and Alistair jerked around to look what would cause such a screech. There was a armored figure that the darkness seemed to cling to standing in the middle of the court, it could've been human if not for the glowing red eyes that glowered from under its helmet.

"Holy shit." Theron muttered

"Maker, we are screwed." Alistair said

It began to take angry steps towards the two men, and they looked at each other

"How do we kill that!?" Alistair asked

"I was going to ask you that!" Theron replied

It began to climb the stairs, and both of them snapped back to stare at it.

"Okay, okay, don't panic." Alistair said, panic lining his words "We just need to look for a weakness-"

He was just talking to himself though, seeming how Theron was charging down the steps at the beast, calling back to the warrior that it wasn't going to kill itself. The rogue jumped a few steps above it and raised his sword above his head, ready to stab it through the opening in its face helmet. But his vision began to blur and his air supply was sudden being cut off as he realized that this thing had caught him mid jump by his throat. It tossed him aside like an unwanted toy and Theron skidded to a stop at the bottom of the stairs.

"Okay…!" he called to Alistair with a groan, "That didn't work."

He pushed himself back up to his feet, his head not agreeing with him as it throbbed its argument. As he looked back up to Alistair a familiar fear made its home in his stomach, as he watched the undead warrior stomp its way up to Alistair. He got a sudden flash back of Tamlen standing at the mirror, and a sense of powerlessness crept onto him. He was frozen in his memory, he held his breath in pure fear.

Alistair looked passed the surprisingly distracting beast that lumber towards him and onto the fearful expression that was plastered on Theron's face. "Uh, Theron?" Alistair called "I could use your help here!"

Theron snapped back into reality, grabbing his sword that had been tossed aside, he threw it at the armored beast. I clinked off of its armor with ease, but it did grant to the elf with its attention. "Hey, ugly!" Theron yelled "You Ser, can suck my dick!" It turned to face the elf, its red eyes looking as comforting as an angry cobra. It began to walk towards him, "Yeah, that's right!" He pointed to his crotch "It's all right here! Come and get some!"

Alistair stabbed his sword through a chink in its armor from behind, it let out a terrible screech as shadows began to rise up and consume it, sucking it into oblivion. Theron at Alistair stared at the ground where it had disappeared, half expecting it to rise again. They looked at each other, "Lovely plan there, friend." Alistair said

Theron grinned "I do my best."

"Your best almost got you killed," Alistair replied

"That's half the fun!" Theron said, as he trotted back up the stairs, and back to the door.

"You realize you've got a gash on your head, right?" Alistair asked

Theron reached up and ran a finger above his eyebrow. It split open when that demon thing had thrown him. "I do now." He replied. "Is it as pretty as it feels?"

Theron held the hair out of his face while Alistair examined it. "It caught your tattoo, but otherwise it doesn't look too bad." Alistair pulled out a bandage and cloth, and after wiping it clean he put the bandage on.

"Thank you." Theron said, as he squatted back in front of the door.

Alistair leaned against the doorway, watching the elf pick the lock. If he was having trouble with it, he didn't show it. His expression was easy and his one arm didn't seem to be hindering him, Alistair noticed as silently watched.

Of course to Theron this was one of the most frustrating thing he had ever done. He knew that if he had use of his other arm he would've already had this damn door open. But he kept that hidden, he didn't want to be babied because of his dead arm. Theron stole a glance at Alistair, maybe that was part of the reason the warrior didn't tell him that he was royalty, he didn't want to be babied over it. If what Theron heard about human kings and all their body guards, he could easily understand why the warrior wanted to keep it a secret. He didn't want to be projected and kept out of the fights because of his blood, just like Theron with his arm. It occurred to Theron, though the cause was different, they both reacted the same way. They were more alike than he originally thought.

The door clicked, and Theron grinned as he pushed the door open. "Aha! Not bad for a crippled man, eh!?"

Alistair chuckled, "I couldn't have done better myself!" He thought for moment "Say... Do you think we should run back down to the village first? In case they need help?"

Theron thought, "I doubt they'll need any help, they have the majority of the and the rest of our party is down there with them."

"I suppose y you're right," Alistair agreed, "Besides, we need to see if Eamon is still alive." He reasoned, mostly with himself.

Theron pushed the door open, and peeked inside. Alistair readied his weapon as the elf crept through the doorway, unsure about to expect. They both stepped into the estate, and Theron's heart was beating a bit faster than he would've hoped for. He stole a glance at the warrior who was looking just as nervous as the elf. "So..." Theron whispered "if you were a child with no way to defend yourself and your house was under attack. Where would you hide?"

Alistair looked at him funny, "What?" He whispered back

"If you were a child-"

"No, no, I got that much, I mean... why do you ask?" Alistair asked

Theron shrugged, "Just curious. Personally, I'd hid under the bed." He replied, just trying to ease the tension.

Alistair thought for a moment, "I would... I'd probably hid in the closet."

Theron grinned, "You WOULD be in the closet!" He exclaimed as he began to stifle his laughter.

"Hey!" Alistair whispered forcefully, trying to hide his own laughter.

They crept around a corner, as the elf's blood ran cold. Theron stopped dead in his tracks. He knew that feeling.

A demon.

Fan-fucking-tastic.


	26. My Good Friend, Mrs Demon

What? You guys didn't get an update last week?

Fiiiiiine, have two this week. :)

And I'm only an hour late! That's not too bad, right?

...Right?

* * *

Theron peeked around the corner of the hallway and into what looked like a meeting room adorned with a massive fireplace. There sat a little boy, no older than ten, playing with something the elf couldn't see. Alistair nudged him, silently asking what he was looking at. "It's a little boy." the elf whispered to him

"Let me see…" the warrior whispered back, and Theron shifted out-of-the-way so Alistair could get a look. The warrior returned to his original spot, "That's Connor, the Arl's son." he explained quietly, "but he… looks… different."

Theron peeked around the corner again at the child, he was still sitting there, playing with something. "Yeah, he feels like a demon." Theron replied

Alistair's worry filled eyes snapped to the elf, "A demon?" Theron nodded "How can you tell?"

The elf thought for a moment, as he turned to look at the warrior, he shrugged "Both of my parents were mages," he tried to explain, "I don't have the ability to spout fire balls out of my ass, but I can sense magic." Alistair thought on that for a moment, while Theron turned back to the kid- who was now gone. "Shit, Alistair," he whispered quickly, taking a quick look at the warrior, then began to look back to where the kid was "The kid's gon- ARGH!"

Connor was staring up at the elf, not three feet away from him. Theron jumped back in surprise and into the warrior, "_Creator's hairy-ass balls!" _Theron cried as they both stumbled and collapsed to the ground, unable to regain their balance in time.

"What are you doing here?" Connor asked, tilting his head. His voice was mono-toned, but his eyes were wild and filled with blood.

Theron scrambled to his feet, "Uhm. Noth- Nothing much, really." he stammered "Just, uh, just…"

"Ch-checking to see if you were okay." Alistair finished for him

"Yeah! You see, we heard the Arl was sick, and wanted to check on him- and you!" Theron said plastering on a fake smile and running a hand through his black short hair. Both of their hearts were threatening to beat out of their chests. They may have just fought their way through an army of the undead, but obviously this demon-child was way more frightening. The thing Theron was worried about was that if this kid decided to attack them, he didn't want to have to kill him to defend himself.

Connor tilted his head, and studied the elf. Theron kept his smile, even though he Could feel the sweat beginning to form on his brow Creators, he hoped he wouldn't have to kill the kid. Suddenly, Connor flashed the two of them a devilish grin, "Where's Teagan?"

Both men looked at each other, not exactly sure how to answer. "Back… down with the village, I would assume." Alistair answered

Connor's face switched to rage "Why is he not here!?" he demanded. Theron could feel the magic begin to swirl around them, this kid was going to cast a spell!

Theron struck the kid on the back of the head, and he flopped to the ground, unconscious. Alistair stared at Connor for a moment before looking up to the elf. "Smooth." he said

The rogue shrugged "I didn't kill him."

"CONNOR!" A woman with a heavy Orliasian accent shouted behind them

The pair turned to look at Teagan and a woman who had just entered the castle. The woman sped towards them with what should have been impossible speed. Nearly knocking Theron over as she rushed to Connor's side. She cupped his cheeks in her hands, examining his face. She turned to Theron "What did you do to him, you savage!?"

Theron's eyebrow arched at such a steep angle that Alistair was sure it was going to climb into his hairline. The warrior could tell from his expression that the elf didn't fancy being called a savage. "He was about to attack us." he explained calmly, a voice that clearly didn't match his irritated face.

"So you knock him out cold!?" she demanded

"Would you rather I had run him through to defend myself?" Theron asked, sarcasm buried beneath his words.

She stood up, the rage rolling off of her "That is not funny." she growled through clenched teeth, her face so close to Theron's that their noses were almost touching.

"I wasn't joking." The elf replied

"Theron," Alistair said, the warning clear in his voice

Teagan put a hand on the woman's shoulder "Isolde, this is the man responsible for stopping the undead from taking over the village-"

"And he just nearly murdered my son." she finished harshly

Theron laughed a single humorless laugh, "If I wanted him dead, there'd be a puddle of blood surrounding him."

Alistair recognized that look in Theron's eye, it was the same as when the only emotion the elf possessed was rage. "Theron, calm down. She's just in shock, she doesn't know what she's saying." he tried to reason.

Nobody seemed to hear him though, because Isolde continued as if nothing had happened "Are you speaking from experience!? You always leave your victims in a puddle of blood, savage?"

Theron gave her an evil smirk "Do you want to find out?"

Alistair pushed his way in between the two of them, "Enough! Now is not the time to be fighting!"

Isolde huffed, and crossed her arms. Theron looked away in aggravation, and sighed. "You're right." he said "Let's talk about why this kid has a demon in him."

"Demon?" Teagan said, a bit in awe.

Everyone looked to Isolde while she bit at her lip. "…It's… true. Connor started showing signs of being a mage…"

"Connor? A mage?" Alistair said, astonished

"Why didn't you send him to the Circle?" Teagan asked

"I couldn't!" she answered, pleading. "I just- I couldn't."

_Yes, because letting him go through life without any training is clearly the smarter thing to do. _Theron thought "So what did you do?" he asked

"I.. sought outside help. I found a mage who agreed to train him." she explained

Theron looked up to Alistair, silently asking if mages were allowed to leave the tower, and the warrior shook his head.

"Mages have to get clearance from the Circle before they can leave." Alistair explained "There's no way you'd be able to get help from them without them finding out Connor was a mage." The look she gave Alistair was all that all of them needed to piece together the rest of the story.

"Isolde… You didn't…" Teagan asked quietly

"I did… But, but that man I hired ended up being an assassin! He poisoned my husband!"

"_Shocking!_" Theron muttered to himself

As Isolde began to explain everything that had happened that lead them up to this point, Theron stopped paying attention. He didn't really care how it came to be a problem, he'd rather just figure out what to do about it. To kill a demon directly, one had to travel into the Beyond and confront it. But that required a ceremony that Theron didn't know how to perform, and besides, it took more mages than they had.

"Well, I can perform the ceremony using blood magic… but the ritual takes a lot of power from a life… All of it, in fact."

Theron's eyes snapped up to the male who had just spoke. Isolde was glaring at him but agreeing that she would be the sacrifice, Alistair was saying something about how two wrongs don't make a right, and Teagan was looking completely uncomfortable. How long had the elf been lost in thought!? Everyone seemed to know who the pro-blood-magic man was though, meaning it was just the elf who had missed his arrival into their merry group. He looked up to Alistair, silently asking who he was. Alistair just silent shook his head, promising to explain later while he tried to hide his amusement, which would have been tougher were not so grave.

"There's got to be a better plan than that." Theron chimed in, though he wasn't exactly sure what was going on. "Why don't we go to the Circle and ask for help?"

"But… then they'll take Connor away!" Isolde argued

"Would you rather him live his life with a demon hanging out with him?" Theron asked, and Isolde's eyes dropped to the floor.

"Do we have time for that?" Alistair asked "That's a four-day trip there and back, and that's IF the weather wants to play along."

"We cannot simply keep him knocked out for that long." Teagan added

"We might not have too…" Isolde said quietly, "He keeps quite well to his room. It was only because I asked to fetch you that he came out to wait for us."

"Okay, so Alistair and I will make haste to the Circle, and you guys send the kid to his room and make sure he doesn't go bat-shit insane and murder the entire vil-" Alistair punched the elf's arm to make him shut up. "Argh... Right…" Theron muttered, wishing that he could rub where the warrior had punched, "We'll get to the Circle as fast as we can."

Teagan nodded "Okay, I'll keep Jowan here to make sure he doesn't try anything."

Theron looked up to Alistair, and the warrior nodded at him.

Seemed they were off to the Circle.


	27. Yes, I Love The Top

Theron yawned and sat up, rubbing at the sleep in his eye. It was nearly three in the morning, nearly time for his and Leliana's shift. He twisted his torso, and moaned happily when his spine cracked in response. He looked to the campfire, as he only slept in a tent if the weather was bad, and he saw that Leliana already awake and was sitting next to the oh so perky Zevran. Alistair too, who had been Zevran's watch partner, sitting not too far away, looking preoccupied. Leliana seemed annoyed, probably at something the other elf had said.

"That's a very personal question." she said

"I mean no offense! I simply offer my services should you ever feel the need for… release!" Zevran replied, and in three sentences, Theron understood what they were talking about.

"Let me think about it, then." She said as Theron stood up shirtless, drawing her attention to him, and for a moment she forgot what she was talking about while she watched him lean-to his backpack and pull out a tunic. She watched him slide it over his head, and tuck his non-working arm into the sleeve, noticing the pained expression he made when he did so. The tunic itself was a dark green that hugged the elf's torso, and highlighted his muscles. She hadn't realized she was staring until Zevran made a knowing humming noise, she snapped her gaze back to the blond elf. "Should every man in Ferelden suddenly die, you may have your chance."

"A-ha! progress!" Zevran replied, thankfully not bringing her staring to the light

Theron sat down at the fire, next to Zevran, taking his blanket and pillow with him "Are you two playing nice?" he asked

"Of course!" Zevran replied "I was merely telling Leliana here that if she ever needed anything… I'd be happy to help!" he scooted closer to Theron, his breath warming Theron's cheek as he said "And of course that offer extends to you, my dear Warden."

Leliana's cheeks became heated, and her eye flashed a bit of jealousy before being quickly buried. Theron acted like he hadn't noticed, because whenever he called her out on such things she just began to sputter out excuses. He turned his head towards Zevran, their faces so close that Theron's nose was on Zevran's cheek. He didn't say anything, just tilted his head and slowly began to lean closer.

Alistair and Leliana stared incredulity at the scene before them, and both of them could've sworn Theron was leaning into a kiss. But instead Theron's lips went to the other elf's ear and he whispered "_Pretend like I just said something sexual, would you my friend?" _in Antivian to the assassin. Finally the memorization of language that belonged to a country he hadn't visited since he was born came in handy.

Zevran smirked and arch an eyebrow. He reached up and ran a finger across Theron jaw then traced his lips with his thumb, "You're such a tease." he said with a grin and then stood "Well, I suppose you and I ought to be off to bed." he said to Alistair, as he walked with a bounce in his step to his tent.

Alistair looked to Theron, but the elf just shook his head. The warrior smiled and sighed, "I suppose you're right." he stood up, "See you all in a few hours, yeah?" he then disappeared into his tent.

Leliana stared at the dark-haired elf, "What did you say?" she asked

Theron looked up from the flame, and feigned like he didn't know what she was talking about "Hmm?"

"Don't give me that! What did you tell Zevran?" she demanded

Theron looked up as if he was trying to recall something, "I don't know what you mean…" he said

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Oh, I see. You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Tell you what?" he asked

"Maker, you're impossible." Theron grinned at her response, and looked up to the sky, admiring the stars. He loved nights like these, the air clear, the past staying in the past, and… and Sten snoring somewhere in the background. He smiled to himself, remember good memories that didn't sting to think about, genuinely happy at the moment. Not like the smile he plastered on his face for the most part of the day. The one he put on to make everyone around him not worry about him so much. Better to make them think he was getting better instead of letting his anger run his life.

"The stars are out…" Leliana whispered to herself, and wasn't aware that the elf had heard her until he turned to look at her, as if he had forgotten she was there.

He smiled again, "For once a clear night." he commented as his gaze returned to sky

She watched him for a while as he stared up at the clear night. He was leaning back on one arm, his dead on laying limply at his side. She wondered how he managed to cope with that, it was little better than just having his arm torn off, but it didn't seem to bother him in the least. Nor did he seem as angry as he was when they had first met.

_Maybe it's a cover? _She thought. _Is he the type of person that would hide his emotions? _

"Theron," she said, determined to ask him about his past, but when he turned his dark brown eyes to her, she forgot what she was going to ask him about. Then realized he was still expecting a response from her calling his name. "Don't… Don't you think it's comforting to think that the stars will remain untouched by the Blight?" she said, and hoping that her cover wasn't completely see through.

Theron thought about that for a moment, "I've actually never thought about that." he admitted, "But they won't, will they? There light will remained untouched and undimmed even if Thedas goes to shit." He took another moment to ponder it, "That's… actually quite comforting to me."

She smiled, "You know, there is a story about that cluster of stars there." she said, as she scooted to sit next to him, and point towards the set of stars that she was referring to. "Do you know it? The story about Alindra and her soldier?"

Theron shook his head, "I can't say that I have, can you tell me it?"

Her smile brightened as she began the tale, Theron noticed that she was amazing at telling stories. He had no doubt that he could easily enjoy listening to her tell the same story over again. There was something about how she brought the chronicle to life, that just made him want to listen to more. Before he knew it, the story was over.

"That's a beautiful story." he commented, even though he wondering why every story seemed to end in such a way that was depressing.

"It's one of my favorites." she said, "A tale of love to true and so enduring that it defied death, and made the Gods take action!" she looked down to the fire, her cheeks turning a bit pink, "Sometimes I wonder if such a love could exist…"

"If we lose our hope in love, then we're truly lost." Theron commented before his mental filter could kick in. Gods, if Tamlen would have heard him said that, he would've never hear the end of it! His eyebrows quickly knitted together "Don't you going telling **anyone **I said that-"

"Too late!" he heard Zevran call from inside his tent a few yards away

Theron hurled his pillow at the tent, "Go to sleep!"

Zevran laughed in response, and Theron's cheeks went red as Leliana giggled "I never expected you to say something like… It is a pleasant surprise." she remarked

"Yes! Good to know that you have a soft side!" Zevran chimed in

Theron stood up, "Excuse me, but I have to kill a nosy assassin." with that, he sped off to Zevran's tent, tearing back the flap and charging in.

"Oh, you need to make use of my services so quickly? I never thought you'd be the type!" Zevran teased while laughing

"I'll show you some 'services'!" Theron replied

Leliana listened as the two of them fought, she was sure that the two of them were wrestling from the way the tent moved and the noises they made.

"Get off of me!" Theron demanded, but even from where she sat, she could hear the amusement in his voice.

She then heard the two of them roll, "Oh, prefer the top do you?" Zevran said with a laugh, and Leliana couldn't help but laugh with him.


	28. Aren't Queens Female?

Funny story, I asked my friend to update this while I was out of town for spring break, but she didn't.

You guys totally got the short end of the stick there, sorry.

But, uh, hey! Two chapters this week again, huh!? That's pretty cool!

Yes!? Yes? ...No?

Damn.

* * *

"Theron, may I ask you a question?" Leliana asked, quickening her step to be able to walk next to the rogue. They could see the Tower in the not so far off distance, and the elf turned his attention from it to look at her.

"Of course, what's on your mind?" He asked with a warm smile

His smile distracted her for a moment, and she had to remind herself to stop looking at his lips. "Does your arm hurt?"

Theron raised an eyebrow, "No, I can't feel it at all." He said easily, "Why do you ask?"

Her eyebrows knit together, was he lying? If so, then why? "Oh, well, the other night when we were on watch, I could've sworn I saw pain on your face when you were putting your arm in its sleeve..."

Ah, shit. She saw that? Theron had been going through great lengths to hide the fact that his shoulder was still causing him a great deal of pain. He didn't want anyone in the party to know, lest they coddle him over it. He slapped on a grin, and hoisted up a teasing eyebrow, "I think you might be seeing things there, Liliana. I can't move my arm, much less feel it."

She kept her confused expression, he was lying. But what was he gaining by lying? She smiled at him, "Well, maybe one of the mages in the tower can get your arm working again."

He shrugged, keeping his easy grin plastered on. "Hey, you never know, maybe they can." Even as he said it, he knew there was an extremely low chance that his arm would ever work again. Swiftrunner had torn the tenets and he was lucky his arm was still attached to his body.

"Hey, Theron!" Alistair called in front of them, "Can you help me for a moment?" He asked

"Sure thing, Alistair." The elf replied, and nodded a goodbye to Leliana. She studied him as he ran a bit to catch up with the warrior. She hadn't noticed it before, but... his smiles seemed a bit forced, as if he were hiding something.

"What's up?" Theron asked when he caught up to Alistair

The warrior was holding the map in front of him, "So, I figured while we were here, we could just pick up the Treaty." He said

"A fine plan." The elf commented

Alistair smirked "Yeah, I thought so. But so then, after that, the only Treaty that's left is the dwarves of Orzammar."

"Yeah, and?" Theron inquired

"Well... it's just that..." he frowned at the elf, then checked to see if their other companions were listening in, "Don't you think this is a bit too easy?" He asked, lowering his voice a bit.

Theron grinned at him, "'A bit too easy?" He repeated "We've been at this for what, two months now?" Alistair nodded in agreement "And in that two months we've dropped the Ferelden Grey Warden count to two, found out werewolves exist-and I nearly got my arm torn off in the process-saved a town from the undead! And found out your old father-figure's son is possessed by a demon. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't exactly call that easy."

Alistair chuckled a bit, "That's... not exactly what I meant." Theron raised an eyebrow at him, "I mean, if the darkspawn would've attacked straight after Ostagar... they could've flattened Ferelden without a fight. But it's as if they're waiting for us to get ready. Like, they want us to have a fighting chance."

Theron felt his eyebrows come together as he thought about what the warrior had said, "...Maybe they do." He said as he ran a hand through his hair, "They get in our heads while we sleep, right? Because we subconsciously peep into their little meetings or whatever. So maybe the archdemon knows our plan, and just wants to crush us knowing that not even our army could defeat him."

A chill ran down Alistair's spine, he had never considered that the darkspawn could peek into their minds. "A comforting thought." He commented

Theron shrugged, "Hey, I'm just throwing out ideas here. It could always be that the archdemon is just waiting until he's completely gathered his own army before he strikes."

"Another comforting thought there, my friend."

Theron sighed with an annoyed smile on his lips, "You're the one that brought it up." He said

"Yeah, but I was looking for a pep-talk, not logic." Alistair teased

Theron gave a small laugh, "Well, fine then. You just know that there's no way in the Beyond I'm gonna let a dragon take over this fine, smelly, country, without a fight."

"That's more like it." Alistair grinned

Theron playfully rolled his eyes, "I'm glad."

The elf's jaw fell open as the Tower of Magi came into clear view, it was only a hop, skip and a boat ride away from him "Holy shit." He said in awe, Redcliff castle was impressive, but a tower build in the middle of the lake!? He hadn't ever seen anything like it.

Alistair grinned at his reaction, "Never seen the tower before, huh?"

The rogue shook his head, "Sure haven't. It's amazing."

Zevran put an arm around Theron shoulders, and it took all of the darker haired elf's willpower not to grimace at the gesture "You know, I heard that when the moon is full, all the mages gather on the roof and have giant orgies in the moonlight."

"What? They do that?" Theron asked, looking Zevran, he turned back to the tower and considered it for a moment, "They don't do that." He decided, but the look he got from Zevran made him question himself. He turned to Alistair, "Do they do that?" He asked, but the only answer he got was laughter from the two men standing next to him. He shook himself out of Zevran's embrace, "Oh sure! Poke fun at Dalish elf because he doesn't know jack-shit about human culture!" He said, trying to be serious, but being unable to keep the smile off his face. "You guys are dicks!" He teased

"Tell me, we're not all going in there, right?" Morrigan asked, and Theron could tell from here tone she didn't fancy entering.

Theron turned around, as the group basically huddled around him, "I suppose not. We just have to go talk to their Keeper- or... whatever."

"First Enchanter." Alistair filled in

"That's what I said." Theron jested

"Well, then I'm not going." Morrigan said as she crossed her arms.

"Fair enough." Theron said quickly, as to not let Alistair use whatever smart mouth comment he was planning on saying.

"Neither am I, then." Sten added "I have no desire to step foot in a place with so much unleashed power is left to fester without the proper restraints."

Theron nodded, "Okay, anyone else?" He asked, looking around their circle, and Rum whined. He looked down at the dog and smiled, "All right, you can stay too. Like I said, it should just be a simple chat." Rum barked in agreement. Theron looked at the three who hadn't objected, "Are you guys good to come?" He asked

Alistair nodded, "I've been by your side this far, haven't I?"

"And miss out on the chance to join in on some orgies!? Never!" Zevran chimed in

"Of course, you guys need a feminine touch to cool all your testosterone." Leliana added

Theron grinned at them, "Well, all right then. Let's get to it." He said, and they began to head for the docks. Theron turned to the three who didn't want to come, and handed them some extra money, "Here, I don't know how long it's going to take to convince them to help us, and you guys might have to spend a couple of night in that inn there."

Morrigan scoffed, "How charming."

Theron grinned, "Just bear with me, okay?" He asked, but she just rolled her eyes and headed off to the inn with Sten and Rum not too far behind her. "Have fun!" He called out to her.

* * *

"Oy, you there!" A Templar pointed to Theron as he and the companions that agreed to come approached him on the docks "You're not lookin' to get in the tower, are ya? Because I have strict orders not to let anyone in!"

Theron raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

The Templar eyed him suspiciously, "I'm not at liberty to say. So how about you just turn around, and I'll forget I saw ya."

Theron shook his head, "I cant do that. Listen, we're Grey Wardens." He said, gesturing time himself and Alistair, "The mages are obligated to help us-"

"Uh-huh. You got any proof?" The Templar interrupted

Theron's eyebrows nearly climbed into his hair-line. "_Yeah_, _jackass, in between my legs_." He replied in Antivian, knowing Zevran would appreciate the comment, and the blond else laughed happily at it.

Alistair dug in his pack and pulled out the Treaties, "We have these documents here." He said as he handed them to the Templar.

He raised an eyebrow at the papers "Ah, yes, Grey Wardens, huh? So you're claiming to be one of those."

Theron sighed, he could feel a headache coming on. Was it possible the Templar would take such an idiot into their Order?

"Well, I'm the queen of Antiva! What do you think of that?"

Alistair watched as Theron eyebrows came together, and the warrior could tell he was honestly confused. "But...to be a queen you have to be a woman..." The elf said quietly

"Don't question royalty!" The Templar snapped

Theron stared at him completely confused, then he realized that this man was teasing him, due in no small part to Alistair jabbing him with an elbow and shaking his head.

"Listen," the elf said, taking control of the conversation, "I'm here on business that out-ranks the King's business," The elf took a step closer to the Templar, getting in his personal space and succeeding in making him feel uncomfortable, "and if you don't assist me in completing my mission, then I will make sure that superior hears of it-" The Templar swallowed loudly, "and you can be damn sure it won't end well for you, cupcake." Theron raised skeptical eyebrows at the man, silently asking if he was going to comply.

"Right! Well, I don't want to keep you chaps any longer than I have to!" He said, rather nervously "We'd best get you to the Tower, no?"

Theron smirked, "Finally a good idea from you." He said, and followed the Templar to the boat, where they all filed on, bunkered down, and headed for the Tower.


	29. Is This Real Life?

Theron did he best to hold in the irritated sigh that desperately wanted to escape as the Knight-Commander of the Circle was explaining to him what happened. The elf was annoyed, first werewolves, and now demons were running amuck!? Some luck he had. The thing that got him the most though, was the fact they had just locked the door and thrown away the key. Theron was raised to believe that was **never **an option, and he didn't like that this was a backup plan for them.

Theron shook his head, "So let us go in," he said "we're not part of your brigade and are expendable to you."

The Knight-Commander stared at him as if he were crazy- which he probably was. "I assure you, a demon is a force to be reckoned with, and there is an entire army of them in there."

Theron nodded, "That may be so, but those people deserve at least a little help. Besides, I have confidence in our abilities."

The Knight-Commander shook his head and sighed, "All right, well, it's your funeral." he said and he lead the party to the doors, "I'll warn you though, once you go in there, I'm locking the door behind you, and I'm not going to open it again unless I know for sure that it's clear. Meaning if you don't have the First Enchanter to vouch for you, I had better not sense a damn magical thing coming from in there, understand?"

"Perfectly." Theron said

The Templar stared at him, this elf was completely mental, wasn't he? "Open the door." he commanded, and Theron nodded his thanks to him as he lead his merry group through.

"…Do you think they have a chance?" a Templar asked his commander as the doors were bolted shut.

The Knight-Commander stood there in silence for a moment as he thought, "I have heard tales of Grey Wardens, but those two looked awfully young."

"Meaning, sir?"

"Meaning I think when the Right of Annulment comes… We'll be fighting their demon controlled corpses."

* * *

"All right," Theron said, turning around to look at the three who had followed him, "survivors are our first priority then. Have you all faced a demon before?" Alistair nodded, but the other two shook their heads, "Okay, if they're in their true form, you'll be able to know right quick that they're a demon, because they are UG-LY. But if you hear a voice calling for help, feel free to investigate it, unless it sounds like it's getting further away, then it's a demon." He thought for a moment, "But that really shouldn't be a problem if we stay in a group, so just stick close, okay?" They all nodded and agreed. Theron grinned "All right, let's kick some demon ass then."

He turned and examined all the doors in front of him, knowing they were going to have to pick apart every room looking for people. He walked up to the first door, and exhaled sharply, looking at his companions. "Ready?" he asked

Alistair nodded, "Ready." he confirmed

Theron creaked open the door, and they all stepped in mostly quietly. Mostly because it seemed to Theron that Alistair didn't even have to be breathing to make some of the loudest movements he had ever heard. He looked to Zevran who was staring at the other rogue with a quizzical expression as to why the warrior was so loud. Theron just shrugged, and they all fanned out to search the room. There were no survivors, but a few corpses, but one thing Theron was glad to learn was that all the doors from in that hallway lead to this room, which meant he wouldn't have to creep his way through a bunch of different rooms.

After they had checked every nook and cranny from top to bottom, Theron walked to end of the hall and pushed the remaining door open. Theron could feel it, even before he had opened the door that the room was filled with magic, some of it due to the mages that were in there, but mostly the feeling came from the six demons that rose from the floor.

"Zevran! You and me, grab the kids!" Theron quickly ordered, knowing that they could run the fastest of the group, "Alistair, Leliana! Kill the demons!"

The two elves torn across the room, grabbing the children. As Theron was sprinting to the other side of the room with a boy no older than ten slung over his shoulder, a rage demon stopped him in his tracks as it climbed out from the depths of the Beyond right at his feet. The child screamed, and Theron's leg swung out in reflex, but the demon caught his foot and seared through his leggings easily with fire. Theron called out in pain, as the demon burned it's inhumane handprint onto his right calf, and it was all the elf could to keep his balance and not drop the kid.

An arrow whizzed by his ear, and struck the demon through the eye. Theron watched while the kid hid his face in his neck, as the demon dissolved back into the floor, and the rogue turned to look back at Leliana who was smiling at him. She winked, and Theron nodded and smiled his thanks to her.

As the elf turned to examine the rest of the room, he saw a white haired mage defeating the last of the demons. He tried to set the boy on the ground, but the child clung to him, "Please don't let me get me." he pleaded quietly in the elf's ear.

The elf smiled, "Hey now, they're all gone." he replied

He peeked up, and saw the coast was clear. "You… saved me." he said

Theron grinned, "Technically that was Leliana, all I did was run us to a demon."

The boy stared at him with big green eyes, and Theron blew the his hair out of his eyes.

"Put the boy down, now!" Theron looked to look at the surprisingly loud voice that came from the older woman with white hair.

Theron leaned down, and place the boy on his feet, but the boy didn't leave his side. "Do not worry, we're here to help." Theron said

"Asher, over here, love." a red headed woman called, and the boy looked up at Theron.

Theron smiled at him, "Go ahead," he said "I'm not going anywhere."

Asher nodded at him, then left to go stand by the other children.

Theron walked back to his own party, where the white-haired mage eyed them skeptically, "I am Wynne, of the Circle, and these children are under my protection." she said

Theron nodded, "I'm Theron, this is Alistair, Leliana and Zevran. We're here to help however we can."

The red headed mage in the back raised an eyebrow, "You guys don't look like Templars or mages…" she thought aloud.

"We're not," Theron explained "Alistair and I are Grey Wardens, and we're here to try and pick up a Treaty."

"And you were told the Circle of Magi was in no shape to help." Wynne chimed in

Theron sighed, "You speak the truth. But when we heard that the Templars had given up on you guys, we wanted to make sure you were all right."

Wynne sighed, "Did they call for the Rite of Annulment?" she asked

Theron opened his mouth but the shut it again, trying to think of the right way to phrase it. He couldn't though, so he just decided to be blunt, "Yes, but the Knight-Commander said that if we could give him proof that the Circle was safe he would revoke it."

"What? How can you get proof?" The red headed mage asked

"He said that if we can bring the First Enchanter to him, and he vouches for us, that that would be proof enough." Theron explained

"Then our mission is clear, we must make our way to Irving then." Wynne commented

Theron opened his mouth the agree, but then stopped himself. "…Our?" he repeated dumbly

Wynne started giving orders to the two mages behind her, then turned back to the elf "Yes, our." she said then trotted up to the barrier. "I erected this to kept the demons away from the children."

_That worked out well. _Theron thought

"You won't be able to get passed it without my help." She turned back to Theron and his group, "Are you ready? Be aware, I don't know what lies beyond this barrier."

Theron looked down at his singed leggings, wondering if he should chance them. "Yes, we're ready. The sooner we find the First Enchanter, the sooner we can get out of here." he said, coming to the decision that he was just going to fight more demons and probably tear them more.

Wynne nodded, "All right. Be on your guard…"

* * *

"Hey!" Theron's eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice. "Hey, Theron, are you all right? You fell pretty far."

"…Tamlen?" Theron muttered, as his eyes began to focus

"Yeah, yeah, it's me. Do you feel like anything is broken?" he asked

Theron squinted his eyes, trying to think. There was something wrong with Tamlen being above him, but he wasn't sure why he felt that way. "What happened?" he asked

Tamlen pulled him into a sitting position and pulled up Theron's shirt and jacket to look at his back to see if anything was bruising, "You thought you heard something so you climbed up in that tree to take a look, remember?" Tamlen explained "But one of the branches snapped under your weight and you couldn't grab onto anything, so you fell to the ground like a log."

Theron turned around to look at the other elf, the confusion obvious on his face, "What's your deal, Theron?" Tamlen asked, placing a hand on his forehead to see if he had fever

"…This… isn't right." he said

Tamlen raised an eyebrow at him, "Theron, did you hit your head on the way down? Do you feel nauseated?"

Theron shook his head, "No, no. I mean, I feel like…" like what? He couldn't explain it, but this whole situation felt wrong.

"Theron, what's the last thing you remember?"

The dark haired elf ran a hand over his face, trying to think… "Uhm, we were brawling again, and Marathari put us on watch…?" Was that right? That didn't seem right, but everything seemed fuzzy.

Tamlen nodded, "Then you fell out of the tree, remember?"

Theron stared up at him for a moment, he _could _remember that, but it was strangely vivid, not like the other memories he tried to conjure up. Tamlen pulled him to his feet, "Come on, friend. Let's get you back to the clan. I want Marathari to look at you." he said as he nearly dragged Theron behind him

Theron shook his head, what did he remember? Brawling, scolding, getting put on watch… Grey Wardens? No, that was impossible. Grey Wardens didn't travel out here. He took in his surroundings, everything looked normal…

So why did it feel so wrong?


	30. OR IS THIS JUST FANTASY?

Early Chapter due to the fact I'll be nowhere near a computer this Friday!

So here you guys go!

And hey! 20 followers 16 favoritists and 30 chapters! I freaking love you guys!

We should do something special!

Erm... any ideas...?

* * *

Theron sat sharpening his blade, lost in deep thought. Why didn't this feel right? Everything was in the right place, all of his things were exactly where he left them, as far as he could tell, nothing was missing. So why in the Beyond did it feel so bloody incorrect!?

"Theron," Merrill placed a hand on his shoulder as she sat down next to him. "is something wrong?" she asked

Tamlen plopped down at his other side, "He thinks he's forgetting something. Even though he's gone over **everything** several times." he said

Theron sighed, "Look, I can't explain it, okay?" he moved his hands as he spoke, trying emphasize his words. "But there is something I am forgetting!" His focus went to right hand, was that right? Did it always work? "…I can move my arm…?" Why did it feel like that was wrong?

Tamlen raised an eyebrow at him, "Yeah, you've been able to move for the last twenty three years, as I recall." he said

"Theron, how hard did you hit your head?" Merrill asked, putting the back of her hand to his forehead.

Theron let out a frustrated sigh, "Guys, come on, you two are my best friends! Could you please have my back on this!? I am forgetting something! I don't know **what** but I am! Okay!?"

"Theron, you and we spend every day together, I've seen everything you've seen, okay? We've gone over the last two weeks in extreme detail! You're not forgetting anything!" Tamlen snapped "Now will you stop acting crazy and just drop it!?"

Theron stared at him, then let out an agitated sigh, "I'm going to go take a bath." he said, as he stood up and stalked off to stream.

"Ugh, Theron!" Tamlen called after him

"Can't hear you! I'm taking a bath!" Theron called back, and he heard Tamlen sigh in response. He was lost in thought as he strolled closer to the stream. None of this made any sense, and yet, it made perfect sense! He was with his clan, Tamlen was by his side, his arm was working. All of that was right! Except it wasn't! He couldn't explain it, but everything here was wrong.

He was dragged from his thoughts as his foot plunged into the stream without him realizing that he had arrived. He exhaled shapely and began to undo the laces to his leggings. Suddenly he remembered! There was a burn on his leg! He quickly leaned down and pulled the fabric up, only to be met with clean, unscarred skin. His eyebrows knit together, but he shook his head. Maybe these "memories" he was trying to think of was just part of some hallucination he had when he fell from that tree.

* * *

Alistair sat happily at the table, while his nieces and nephews were conversing happily around him. He could hear his sister, Goldanna, humming merrily as she worked in the kitchen. There was really nothing better than this moment. He had thought begin a Grey Warden would make him happy, but it didn't, not really.

"Uncle Alistair!" one of his nieces called, pulling him from his thoughts "Will you tell stories of you time as Grey Warden?"

Alistair grinned, "Sure!" he said happily as he began to think back "I remember there was this one Warden named Theron, now he did NOT want to be a Warden, and Duncan literally had to drag him to his Joining." he said, "He was a complete as- **jerk** at the beginning of the Blight, but I got him to become more friendly." he explained with no small sense of satifaction

"But anyways, he and I teamed up to defeat the Blight, right? First we traveled to the Brecilian Forest, where we found out… **werewolves** are real!" That comment earned him a few oohs and awes from the children around him, and he smirked "And it was all due to this curse that the Keeper had set in place nearly three hundred years ago…!"

He went on and on about the Blight, telling the children how they had defeated werewolves, broken curses, fought an army of the undead, and how Connor had a demon in him, and the children stared at him, completely amazed at the legend sitting before them. "Then we got to the Circle of Magi, where we found out it was overrun by demons!" he said, basking in their wide eyed astonishment. "So we teamed up with a mage name Wynne, and fought our way through floors and floors of demons and undead warriors!" Suddenly he couldn't remember what happened next, "…and then we opened the door to the main chamber of that floor and…" and what? What had been behind the door?

Suddenly the realization hit him, there had been a sloth demon behind that door, and Theron had dropped like a fly after he told him to sleep, followed closely by the others, including himself… And then he had woken up here.

He stood up with so much force that the chair he was sitting on was toppled over, Goldanna peered into the room, "Alistair," she called, "are you all right?" she asked, wiping her hands on her apron as she entered the room.

Alistair grinned "I can't believe I was so **stupid**." he said

"Alistair, what's wrong?" she asked

"You're all demons! This is a dream!"

Goldanna stared at him for a moment, then crossed the room to him placing a hand on his cheek, "Alistair, you're scaring the children."

Her hand began to burn, and she was suddenly thrown back by some unseen force. Her clothes were on fire, burning a bright blue flame. Alistair shook his head "That was a Templar Smite," he explained "to any normal being that would've just thrown them back. But it lights demons on fire." he said, drawing his sword

Goldanna gave him a devilish grin, "You could've been happy here." she said, shedding the mirage, and Alistair saw her for what she actually was. A desire demon, "We could've made all your dreams come true…"

"Yeah, well, sorry to ruin the party." Alistair said reading his shield

She shook her inhuman head at him, "You're loss, I suppose."

* * *

"So, finally given up on thinking you've forgotten something?" Tamlen asked, as he sat down next to Theron around a campfire.

Theron grinned, "Yeah, well, it's been two weeks and I can't remember shit, so I've come to the conclusion that it was all some weird dream when I hit my head."

Tamlen smiled "Finally!" he said

Theron laughed "Shut up." he smiled at the flames, "You know, I was convinced that this wasn't real."

"That what wasn't?" Tamlen asked

"This! This, moment here. I was convinced **this** was the dream, not the insane reality I thought I remembered." Theron explained

Tamlen clapped him on the back, "My friend, if you were ever stuck in a dream, I'd have decency to point it out to you."

Theron chuckled "Why thank you, that's very kind!"

"Theron!"

Both elves turned to look at the voice that called, while Theron's eyebrows knit together, Tamlen popped to his feet with his bow drawn.

"Alistair?" Theron said, confused

Alistair started walking towards him, "Holy Maker, Theron, am I glad you're all right!"

"Not another step, shem!" Tamlen threatened, and Alistair stopped in his tracks "I don't know how you got into our camp undetected, but I'll make sure you don't leave!"

"Whoa! Tamlen, put your bow down! He's a friend!" Theron exclaimed, putting a hand on Tamlen's shoulder

Tamlen lowered his bow slightly, "What!? How do you have a human friend?" he demanded

Theron looked between Tamlen and Alistair, "…I don't know." he admitted

"Theron, listen to me! This is all a dream!" Alistair called

Tamlen raised his bow again, "Don't listen to him Theron! I don't know who he is! And there's not any logical reason why you should!"

"Tamlen! Calm down!" Theron tried

"No! Theron, humans killed you parents! What more is it going to take for you to hate them properly!?" Tamlen shouted

"Humans didn't kill them, Tamlen! Werewolves did!" Theron argued

Tamlen gave him the most confused expression, "What the hell are you talking about!?" he demand

Theron's eyebrows knitted together, "I… I don't know… but it sounds right."

"That's because it is, Theron!" Alistair said "Do you remember going to the Tower? Huh? The Sloth demon? He took our fantasies and made them reality!"

Theron put his hands on his head, trying to think, "…Tower?"

"Oh, come on! Theron! Let me kill him!" Tamlen nearly yelled, drawing back the arrow "He's obviously trying to win you over so he can keep his pathetic life!

Theron shook his head, "Tamlen! Put the Gods damned bow down!"

Tamlen looked at him, his eyebrows knit together, "You're picking a human over me!?"

Theron shook his head "I'm not picking anyone over anybody! I just want to get all the facts before you kill an innocent man!"

Tamlen scoffed "Innocent!?"

"Just give him a chance, okay?" Theron pleaded "I know him, he's a friend."

"A friend?" Tamlen scoffed "I'm sorry, but I spend every day in your company, there's no way you'd have a human friend without me knowing about it. And you don't even know how you know him! Which means you probably don't, and that insane dream of yours is coming into play!"

Theron shook his head "Okay, you're right, but just let me talk to him, all right?" The look Tamlen gave Theron told the rogue that the blond elf was not a fan of this plan "Just give me… five minutes of uninterrupted, non-eavesdropped conversation with him, and then if what he says doesn't make sense, you can kill him, okay?"

Tamlen sent a nasty glare over to Alistair, "Fine. But if it looks like he's going to attack, I'll strike first and ask questions later."

Theron nodded, "Okay, yeah. That's fair."

Tamlen gave Alistair one last glare, before he backed off. Theron walked up to Alistair and pulled him aside. "Okay, we have five minutes. How do I know you?" he asked

Alistair looked at him funny, "Because you and I are the last Grey Warden's in Ferelden, remember? And that we've been traveling around Ferelden trying to raise an army to stop the Blight?"

Theron knit his eyebrows together, trying to think, "No… What?"

Alistair let go a frustrated sigh, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Uhm, Tamlen and I were on watch…" Theron said "…After Marathari caught us brawling."

"Okay…" Seemed like the demon's had blocked out the Blight completely from him, so what did the warrior know of his time before being a Warden…? "Uhm, do you remember…" Damn! Theron had never spoken of his past! He didn't know anything! "A CAVE!" he suddenly remembered Flemeth mentioning that Theron had gone into a cave with his friend, and that's how he got tainted. "Remember you and your friend went into a cave!"

Theron thought for a moment, "And then he touched the mirror… and it was cursed."

"Right!" Alistair said, though he didn't actually know, "Then what happened?"

"I… I don't know, it's all really fuzzy." Theron admitted

"Please, try and remember!" Alistair begged

"Uhm…" Theron said, racking his brain trying to remember, but it was as if a wall was there, keeping him from remembering what had happened next.

Alistair watched as the color paled from his face, "Then we both got Tainted... Tamlen went missing and I was drug off to the Wardens, where we lost the battle at Ostagar!"

Alistair smiled in relief, "There you go! You're getting it!"

"Then Flemeth... and werewolves." He stared at Alistair with wide eyed astonishment, "And Swiftrunner nearly tore my arm off!" He looked down at his hands "How come it's working now?"

"Because we're stuck in the Fade," Alistair explained, "do you remember us fighting our way to the top of the Tower? The Sloth demon that was lurking behind the door?"

Theron's jaw dropped as the memories came flooding back, "Right, it told me to take a nap-" his lips formed a small line "Gods damn it, I call dibs on slaughtering that thing!" Theron's eyebrows knit together, "Wait... this is all some fanasty?"

Alistair nodded "The demon dived into our minds and found out what we wanted most... then made it a reality so we would stay longer."

_Theron_ turned back and looked at Tamlen, who was still sending nasty looks to Alistair, "Then... Tamlen is still missing, isn't he...? He asked in a very small voice

Alistair frowned, "I'm afraid so..."

Theron's jaw set as he entered a deep thought, "Then how do we get out of here?"

Alistair sighed, "You're not going to like it."

"I don't like a lot of things." Theron replied "For example, being stuck in the Beyond while some demon wears a mask of my friends."

Alistair nodded, "You have to kill the demon that's keeping you trapped here."

Theron's face darkened, "You mean Tamlen...?"

Alistair saw the pain that swirled in his eyes, "I'm afraid so..."

He had to kill Tamlen in order to end the delusion...? If Tamlen were left untouched, then that ment the dream would be too? Leaving him forever trapped here... but was that truly such a bad thing...?

Theron looked back to Tamlen, who signed to him, _Finished yet!? You have one minute._

Theron took a deep breath, took one last look at Alistair, who nodded at him, then strolled up to Tamlen. He put his mouth next to Tamlen's ear, and whispered...

"Yes, we're through talking... You can kill him now."


	31. Sweet Dreams are Made of These

**This chapter has mentions suicide quite a bit.**

**If that might trigger something, or makes you feel uncomfortable, feel free to skip this chapter. I will give a detailed description of it at the beginning of next chapter.**

* * *

Tamlen smirked at Theron's words, sending a very nasty glare over in Alistair's direction. The warrior raised an eyebrow at the blond elf in confusion as the elf raised his bow again, nocking an arrow, and it wasn't until Theron wouldn't meet his gaze that the thought occurred to Alistair: _Maker's breath, I'm actually in danger here aren't I!?_

"Any last words, shem!?" Tamlen demanded

Alistair's jaw nearly hit the ground, as he took in the scene. He snapped it shut, Theron picked the dream over him, and if he didn't want to die in here, he was either going to have to run away or kill the demon himself. But since that magical altar hadn't reappeared in this realm yet, he feared he was going to have no choice but to do the latter.

Alistair eyed Theron, who was now looking at him, with what seemed like a broken look. He looked guilty.

Good. He should feel bad.

But when it came right down to it, he couldn't truly blame him, not really. He was back with his friends and family and the Blight didn't exist here... it was a paradise when compared to the real world.

"Yeah, my last words are..." did he want to go with something witty or intimidating?

But it didn't really matter, because Tamlen was suddenly gagging, as the tip of a blade pierced through his throat. Alistair's jaw fell open again, as Tamlen turned his head ever so slightly so look at Theron, while was still holding the hilt of the knife.

Theron looked as if he was going to burst into tears, as he said "I'm sorry..." so softly that he himself had barely caught it.

Tamlen stared at him in disbelief for a moment, his equipment falling from his fingers, while Alistair asked himself why he wasn't flopping to the ground in a lifeless heap. Then figured the demon wasn't going to give up that easily.

Tamlen fell to his knees, as Theron released the knife, he twisted his body so he was facing Theron, he shook his head, "You've killed me a second time..." he muttered, surprisingly clear, Alistair thought, considering, before he fell to the ground at Theron's feet unmoving.

Alistair saw tears begin to swell in the rogue's eyes, as he stared down at the inanimate body. He looked back up to the warrior, refusing to let any of his tears spill. He stepped over the body and walked back over to Alistair. "I thought you said that's all we had to do-"

Before he had even finished the sentence, an alter appeared next to where the warrior had strolled in.

Theron released a sigh of relief, thankful that he didn't have to go on a murderous rampage to end the illusion. He doubted he'd be able to stick a knife in his mother.

The warrior watched as the Theron stepped up to the altar, choking back his emotions. "Theron." he called

The rogue turned to him, "What?" he asked, his voice breaking a bit

"Are you all right?"

"That… is a very stupid question."

Alistair's eyes dropped, "Yeah, you're right…" he replied "It wasn't you're fault, you know?"

Theron stared down at his feet, then shook his head, "That's where you're wrong, Alistair." he nearly whispered "Tamlen wouldn't be dead right now if not for-"

"Stop it." Alistair interrupted, grabbing the rogue's arm and making him look at the warrior, "You heard Flemeth talking. Your friend isn't dead, we just have to find him. That there," he pointed to the corpse "was a demon."

"I **know** what it was…"

"Then don't let it get to you-"

"**Don't let it get to me**!?" Theron suddenly snapped, jerking his arm free "I'm sorry, but I just shoved my knife through my best friend's neck! Demon or no, I find that pretty damn traumatic! So you'll have to forgive me if I don't just take it with a grin!" he screeched "I can only hide so much behind a smile before I blow! I'm a fucking time bomb! If the damn past doesn't start staying in the Gods damn past, then **I** just might become a thing of the past myself!"

Alistair's jaw fell open, and Theron instantly regret his words. _Fuck, good job asshole. Now he's gonna want to talk about it._

"…You're thinking about killing yourself?" Alistair said softly

Theron's lips became a small line, "It… might have crossed my mind." he sighed, "Look, this isn't the place for this-"

"What? You'd rather talk about it in the camp where the entire party can hear?"

Theron looked down at his feet again, "I'd rather not talk about it at all."

Alistair watched him in silence for a long while, as Theron stared off into the distance. "Theron…" he began "What happened to you?"

Theron didn't say anything, just let his face contort into the miserable expression he was feeling as he continued to stare anywhere but at the warrior. He sucked in a breath, "Nothing happened." he said as he exhaled

Alistair looked him up and down slowly, his muscles were tense, his gaze was hard, his shoulders stiff. "Okay… If you don't want to talk about it right now, then we won't." he said, and Theron visably relaxed at his words, "And I'm not going to pry anymore. If and when you want to talk, we will. But I am going to say how grateful I am that you're here. You didn't have to help me try and take on the Blight, and Maker knows, you didn't have to lead…

"But you did. And that's a debt I doubt I'll ever be able to repay, and you can be damn sure that without you, I sincerely doubt we would've even made it this far. Hell, I owe you my life after all the times you've saved my ass in combat." he put a hand on his shoulder, and Theron looked up at him, "You didn't coddle or resent me when I told you of my heritage, and you've gone out of your way to help the Arl's son…" he sighed, "And if you weren't here, I'm sure I'd be a nervous wreck trying to pull things together." He smiled at the rogue, "So… thanks… for just being here. And you know that I'll always be here for you, right?"

Theron swiped at the tears that were threatening to spill, and he smiled weakly at the warrior. He opened his mouth a few times, trying to put his thoughts into sentences. He sighed, giving up trying to form words and just pressed himself to Alistair's chest, giving him a hug.

Alistair stood there for a moment, then returned the hug, "Thank you." Theron said softly,

The warrior smiled, "Of course."

"So... how does this thing work?" Theron asked, pulling back and examining the altar. He look up to Alistair just in time to watch him quickly fade away into nothing. His heart nearly stopped, as his eyes shot open to point he was positive they were going to roll on the ground. The trees and plants around him began to shimmer, and they too quickly disappeared leaving Theron standing there, completely baffled.

He took in his new surroundings, the sky was a sickly green, and he was standing on some sort of island. When he looked up to the odd firmament, he saw other islands flouting about as if they were clouds. How many other people were trapped here, he wondered. His companions for sure, the Templars, maybe a few mages. Then the length of time they had spent here entertained his thoughts. To Theron, he had been over two weeks, but perhaps outside the Beyond it had only been moments, or maybe months. His stomach sank at that thought. How much time had they lost while playing with demons?

He shook off the thought. Right now he couldn't be worrying about that. He had to find his companions and get everyone's asses out.

* * *

If it wasn't for the strange settings he found himself in sometimes when exploring the dreams of others, Theron honestly didn't really mind wandering around in the Beyond. Hell, his arm worked, and that was the majority of the reason of why he sort liked it here-

Well, "like" was a strong term. He simply tolerated being here, except when falling under a demon's trap, of course.

Damn, he shouldn't of thought of that... He knew that **that** Tamlen was just a demon wearing his skin, but what it had said nearly forced his heart to quit beating.  
_You've killed me a second time._

He couldn't get that out of his head. Perhaps Flemeth was mistaken, maybe Tamlen really was dead... and if he was dead, then it was all his fault-

He smacked a hand to his forehead, "It's not your fault, dumbass." He chided himself, but even as the words left his mouth, he knew he didn't believe them. He sighed, focusing back to the task at hand, instead of letting his mind wander. No matter how he distracted himself though, his thoughts always went to his best friend... Hell, he could be thinking about a rotting turnip that was being eaten by a rabid jack-rabbit, and **SOMEHOW** his mind would find its way back to that day he and Tamlen had gotten tainted.

He felt the need to cry, he hadn't shed a tear about it, since he was still hanging out with Duncan and Roland. He just bottled up his emotions, letting them fester into what he knew would only lead to a giant explosion later. He knew it was a stupid thing to do, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want anyone to see him break down, he didn't want anyone to coddled him, or think that he was easily broken.

He didn't want to seem as callow as he felt.

He didn't know whether it was sad or not how many times suicide had graced his thoughts, and he thought about it with a smile as to not tip off his companions. It's not like it would be exceedingly difficult, he could just take off in the middle of the night and leave his body for the carnivores to find, or just not block or dodge a deadly blow. He could say, "Oops! I didn't realized that knife was coming straight to my heart!" and simply be done with it.

But there had to be some part of him that wanted to live, because every time he had tried that, his hand would move on its own and protect him.

Damn subconscious.

And even though Alistair had offered to listen and to help... He sighed, _Why can't I just let them help me? _He didn't like to admit it, but he had grown attached to his party members, and would do just about anything for them. So how come he couldn't let them do the same for him?

He mentally sighed, told himself to suck it up, and push forward, even with the weight if the Blight, Tamlen, the civil war, the Treaties, and being stuck in the Beyond hanging on his shoulders, trying their best time drag him down, he was determined to pull through it! He would put on his mask, and _crawl _if he had to.

If only he was as confident as the facade that he put on... then perhaps the Blight wouldn't seem so impossible...

He shook the thoughts from his head, he had found everyone trapped here, all that was left was to fight Sloth. He examined the altar as the island in the center became lit and able to touch. The elf sucked in a breath, he didn't want to do this.

But Creators be damned: he would.

* * *

Theron eyes snapped open, and he shot into a sitting position, while his head throbbed in disagreement. He groaned, and rubbed the back of head, glancing at the stone cold floor that he was laying on. There was a decorative dried deep red of a blood stain where his head had been a moment ago. "Okay..." he muttered, "we've been here long enough for the blood to dry."

Alistair was the next to sit up, "Holy Maker." He moaned, "That was... that was..."

"Terrible?" Theron guessed, as he looked sadly at his dead arm. He liked how it was working while he was in the Beyond. Reality sucked. "Awful, dissonant, horrid, demented.. dreadful?" He continued, as Rum whimpered, then nuzzled Theron hand for comfort.

"All of the above..." Leliana muttered as she rubbed at where her head had met, rather roughly, with the stone floor.

"Did that demon Have to have so many forms? Was the truly necessary?" Zevran asked, as he twisted his torso, and his spine cracked in response.

Wynne sat up unhappily, "Apparently so." She answered.

"How long do you guys reckon we've been here?" Theron asked, standing up, and pulling Wynne to her feet.

"I don't know," Wynne answered, "but we'd best be on own way as soon as possible."

He didn't doubt that, what's-his-face was continuing to overtake the Circle, and would probably succeed if they didn't hustle.

It was official. He hated reality.


	32. Demons, Abominations and More!

**An update?**

**You guys best be counting your lucky stars :)**

**Anyways, this is the first of many, so just be prepared.**

* * *

I'm gonna quickly explain the last chapter, just in case any of you skipped it. So if you read it, just skip down to the next line break

Okay, so Theron only said that Tamlen could kill Alistair so he could get behind him without seeming suspicious. But even though Theron knew it was a demon, killing Tamlen was the hardest thing he has done up to date. Before the demon that was wearing Tamlen's skin died, it said "You've killed me a second time." Which damn near ripped Theron's heart out, because he doesn't believe Tamlen made it out alive, and that it was his fault. When Alistair was trying to consol Theron, the elf exploded at him, and accidentally admitted that he was feeling suicidal.

That caused Alistair to confess that he really did think of Theron as a friend, and was glad that he was around, and happy that he didn't give into that temptation.

Then Alistair faded away, like he does in the game, and Theron was left alone to try and free the rest of his companions.

Once outside the dream, Theron wonders about how much time they had lost while playing around with demons, and pulls everyone to their feet.

Then begins to lead the way to fight Uldred.

* * *

This Blight was really beginning to suck ass, Theron decided. First he learned from Cullen, a Templar who was currently stuck in a… force-field… thingy… that they had lost over two weeks in their dreams. Which probably meant Redcliffe was drowning in a sea of the undead. After listening- well, arguing really over whether all mages were good or evil for a solid ten minutes, Wynne cut in "This is a discussion for another time! Where is Irving and the other mages?"

Cullen looked to a door that said atop a set of stairs, "He is in there." he said

Theron followed his glance, "Then that's where we go." he said, ignoring the sound of desperation his stomach had just rumbled out. All of their food was with Morrigan and Sten in the inn, speaking of which, where were those assholes?! If they had really been gone two weeks, why hadn't they gone on search to find them?

Whatever, that was for once they got out of here. Cullen piped back up, saying something about how everything in there should die. Theron was about to begin another argument, but Alistair just grabbed the rogue's elbow and simply shook his head.

Theron sighed, "Fine, he said, "let's go."

The rogue lead the way up the stairs, to find the door locked, and he exhaled quite noisily to make his annoyance apparent to everyone.

"You can't break through that." Cullen explained, "That's the harrowing chamber. Its sole purpose is to stop Demons from getting through.

Theron felt the small pack he kept on his belt for a lock pick, only to find himself pickless. He turned to Zevran and Leliana, "Either of you got a pick on you?" he asked them, seeming how Alistair couldn't seem to pick a lock even if his life depended on it, and therefore didn't bother to carry any picks.

"No," Zevran replied, "I broke my last one opening the door where we got ambushed, remember?"

Theron nodded, recalling how hilarious it had been listening to the other elf swear when it had. They both turned to Leliana, and she shook her head, "I'm afraid not." she replied

"_Three rogues and not a single lock pick. Nice._" Theron muttered under his breath. "Well, now what?"

"Brute force?" Alistair suggested

Theron thought about it for a moment, there was no way that just one of them could kick it open, but maybe if he and Alistair kicked it at the same time. "Yeah, let's give it a try." Theron replied

Cullen scoffed, "That isn't going to work."

Theron stopped himself from rolling his eyes, "Well, I don't see **you **doing much to get it open."

The look the elf received from the Templar entertained the rogue so much, he had to hold in a laugh.

"On three." Alistair said, as their other companions backed up, "One-"

"Wait," Theron interrupted, "One, two, three, go? Or just one, two, three?"

"Just one, two, three." Alistair confirmed

"What if I wanted to do one, two, three, go?" Theron teased

"Holy Maker…! Fine! On go!" Alistair replied,

"No, I want to do it on three." Theron said

"Might I remind you people are dying?" Wynne chimed in

"Gah… You're such a downer." Theron muttered, "Okay! On three!"

"One…" Alistair began, "Two…Three!"

Both of them slammed their feet into the wooden door, and it creaked in disagreement.

"Told you it wouldn't work…" Cullen grumbled

"Again." Theron said

"One, two, three!"

Again, both of them kicked the door and the top hinge of the door gave way. Theron sent a smug look over to the Templar.

And for one last time, the two of them kicked the door, where it fell noisily onto the ground. Theron was the first one in, sprinting up the steps. He skidded to a stop at what he saw, though.

There was a woman, being held by two abominations in a kneeling position, and a bald man was dragging a finger across her jaw line, "There is no need for this… resistance. Do you accept my gift."

The woman panted a few times, "Haven't I already told you to fuck off, Uldred?" she replied

The bald man- presumably Uldred, clicked his tongue a few times. "Aw, my dear child… I pulled you out of those prisons below the tower, **I **saved you from going to Aeonar. I do believe you owe me." he replied

"Yeah, I owe you a kick in the balls." she spat

"Hey!" Theron called "Why don't you pick on somebody who can actually fight back, huh?"

Uldred turned to him, "Why… if it isn't the little elf who stowed away into my tower. Did you enjoy your time in the Fade?" he asked, while taking a few steps towards him

"Yes, it very lovely, thank you for asking. Why don't you tell me why you're being an asshole?"

Uldred smirked, "A mage is but the larval form of something **greater**!" he said, and Theron just sighed. He wasn't going to be like one of those monologue-ing evil villains from a children's story, was he? "The work I'm doing here will benefit all mages-"

"Oh my Gods." Theron whispered, Uldred was the very idea of a storybook villain. "Yeah, that's all very nice and well, but, uh, no offense! But I really don't give a shit. So if we could just skip to the combat, that'd be great."

"Oh, eager to fight, are we-"

Theron had wanted to be the one to interrupt him, but in the end, it was the female mage who lobbed a fireball across the room, causing Uldred to start choking on the flames. To say that that pissed him off would be an understatment, and Uldred decided that he stood a better chance if he transformed into a demon.

The battle was quick to start then, as Theron narrowly dodged some lightening that was thrown his way. He rolled, then popped back to his feet, shoving his hair out of his face. Seems like it had grown passed the length that he preferred, and was now hanging down into his eyes. Sleeping half a month seemed to do that to a person- and nobody was even going to **mention **what had happened downstairs in that time. They all just silently agreed to change pants and bath as soon as possible.

He found his black hair in his eyes again, as he stabbed a abomination in the heart. "Gods be damned." he complained, "Zevran!" he called

"What?" the crow called back

"How do you keep all that hair out of your face?" he asked, throwing a knife at a demon that was getting awfully close to Leliana.

Zevran began to laugh, "Unlike you, my dear Warden, I braid it so it stays out of my face." he called back, while taking an eyesore of a abomination's head clean off its shoulders.

Theron had to swipe it out of his eyes again after he tackled one of the brutish fiends to the ground and stabbed it to death. "Leliana?" he called

"Going to ask about my hair as well, are we?" she called back

Theron smiled, "No, actually I was wondering if you'd cut it for me when we get out of here!"

"Wha- can't you cut your own hair?" she asked

"Sure I can, I just believe you'd be able to cut it better than I!" he answered

"Did you all seem to forget about the giant demon!?" the female mage nearly screamed at them

"Of course not!" Theron replied, "My hair is just more important!"


End file.
